The Patna High Court on Thursday admitted a petition by the Bihar government challenging the acquittal of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi in a disproportionate assets case.

Official sources in the Patna High Court told rediff.com that the court will hear the petition on September 24. The nine-year-old case is an off-shoot of the fodder scam.

On February 19, the Nitish Kumar government had filed a petition in the high court against Lalu and Rabri's acquittal. The State government had appealed against the Central Bureau of Investigation's court verdict after the CBI, which investigated the case, decided not to challenge the acquittal.

Last week, the court had reserved its order on the maintainability of the petition after hearing arguments by Ram Jethmalani and Solicitor General G Vahanvat, who are representing the former chief minister and his wife. The State government was represented by senior Supreme Court advocate Surendra Singh.

A special CBI court had acquitted Lalu and Rabri in the disproportionate assets case on December 18, 2006.

According to the case, Lalu amassed assets worth Rs 46 lakh during his tenure as chief minister between 1990 and 1997. Rabri Devi has been named as a co-accused for allegedly abetting the offence.