LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Ranchi, Feb. 21: Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD president Lalu Prasad will challenge his sentencing by the special CBI court in the fodder scam case RC 47 A/96. The special CBI court of Sudhanshu Kumar Shashi of Ranchi court awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 60 lakh to him.
“We will challenge the judgment before Jharkhand High Court and the petition will be moved shortly. The CBI deliberately implicated him. Lalu Prasad doesn’t deserve this kind of punishment,” senior lawyer Prabhat Kumar, who appears on behalf of Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam cases, said.
A large number of the RJD leaders and workers were present on the Ranchi court premises and they were anxiously waiting outside of the E-court room. Former Bihar MLA Bhola Yadav, former ministers Shyam Rajak, Abdul Bari Siddiqui and several from Jharkhand were present. They became disappointed when the court announced five years of jail and Rs 60 lakh as a fine.
“An innocent man Laluji was implicated with a motive to finish him and to gag the voice of the oppressed. We respect the court but we will move to upper courts to seek justice. Bihar and the nation need him,” said Bhola Yadav who is closely associated with the Lalu family.
Lalu Prasad Yadav is currently under treatment at RIMS under judicial custody and he will file a bail petition for his release. “In this case, he has served three years and 19 days in jail during the investigation and trial period,” said Prabhat Kumar.
As per the Supreme Court norms in a case, if the convict has completed half of the sentencing period, he is eligible for bail. But the CBI sources disputed the claim of Lalu’s lawyer. “It is wrong to say that Lalu Prasad Yadav spent three years in jail in this case. It may be true in other cases but not in the case of RC 47 A/96,” said a CBI official.
