Lalu Prasad Yadav quantum of sentence to be out tomorrow

Patna: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s political future depends on the quantum of punishment which is to be pronounced on Thursday.

Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav, who is currently trying to keep the party united in his absence, said that he has full faith in the judiciary.

“My father is a mass leader and has been fighting for the people. We have faith in the judiciary and are hopeful that he will return from jail soon,” Tejashwi Yadav told reporters in Patna.

A special CBI court on December 23 had convicted the RJD chief and 15 others in a fodder scam case.

Lawyers, representing Lalu Yadav, on Tuesday said that they would appeal for minimum punishment in the case. “He is old and suffering for several diseases, including heart ailment. We will seek minimum punishment for him,” they said.

According to legal experts here, Lalu Yadav will have to move the Ranchi high court for bail if the sentence is of more than three years. They said “the entire exercise may take at least more than a month for Lalu Yadav’s release. But if the quantum of punishment is less than three years, then he may seek for a bail immediately from the lower court”.

In 2013, when the CBI court had convicted Lalu Yadav for five years in a case related to fraudulent withdrawal of '37.5 cro-res from Chaibasa treasury, he had to spend more than two months in jail before he was granted bail.

The conviction had led to his disqualification from Parliament and a ban on contesting elections.

Several party leaders, including his close aide and RJD MLA Bhola Yadav, have been camping in Ranchi and are likely to be present in court during the court’s hearing on Wednesday.

Sources claim that the RJD is gearing up to launch a massive agitation later this month against the BJP. Tejashwi Yadav has called a meeting of RJD functionaries, including district and block unit heads, on January 6 to discuss the party’s future course of action.