Lalu supporters hope for less than 3 yrs’ jail
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders and workers are hoping for a jail term less than three years for party patriarch Lalu Prasad when a special CBI court on Wednesday announces the quantum of punishment in a 21-year-old fodder scam case.
The 69-year-old former Bihar chief minister will be able to seek bail immediately at the lower court only if the sentencing is for less than three years in the case related to the fraudulent withdrawal of ~90 lakh from the Deoghar treasury during 1991-1994.
Besides Lalu, special judge Shivpal Singh had convicted 15 people while acquitting six others, which included former chief minister Jagannath Mishra.
“If it (the sentence) is more than three years, we would have to move the Ranchi high court for bail. In that case, it would take at least a month for Lalu ji to be released (on bail),” said Bhola Yadav, an MLC and a close aide of the RJD supremo.
Lalu is now lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi where the case is being heard.
In the first fodder scam case in which Lalu was convicted in 2013, he was sentenced to five years in prison. He had to spend 70 days in
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jail before the Supreme Court granted him bail on the grounds of parity with others convicted in the case. “We are keeping our fingers crossed (for the Wednesday’s announcement),” said another RJD leader.
The 2013 conviction led to his disqualification from Parliament and a ban on contesting elections.
Sources said Lalu’s family members would not be in Ranchi on Wednesday with younger son and Leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and wife Rabri Devi likely to stay put in Patna.
Tejashwi, however, said he has full faith in the judiciary and will respect the court’s order.
Sources said the RJD has called a meeting on January 6 where organisational matters and agitational programme against the state government’s alleged failure would be finalised.