Lalu Prasad on Friday pleaded minimum sentencing in the fodder scam case RC64A/96 in which he has been convicted by Special CBI Court of Shiv Pal Singh, on health grounds and requested the court to take a lenient view.
“We made submission in the court that Lalu ji had undergone heart surgery in 2014 and is also suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. He has been facing the trial for the last 20 years which itself is a kind of punishment and remained in lodged for about one year,” said Lalu’s advocate Chittranjan Sinha. In addition to that, no direct evidence has been found against Prasad and the statements recorded by approvers have been produced as evidence which is just hearsay, hence a lenient view may be taken towards him, he added.
The court also heard arguments on behalf of other four convicted persons-Phoolchand Singh, RK Rana, Raja Ram Joshi and Mahesh Prasad through video conferencing, who also pleaded to take lenient view towards them considering their old age and bad health.
Prasad’s advocate also pleaded to consider his client’s social status before pronouncing punishment in the case. He also submitted that his client was pronounced five-year jail term in fodder scam case RC20A/96 amounting to Rs 31 crore, while RC64A/96 amounts to just Rs 79 lakh, hence punished sentence may be pronounced accordingly.
The CBI counsel strongly objected the submission made by Prasad, saying the time consumed during the trial was due to loopholes in the judicial system.
“As far as his health is concerned, it could easily be made out with his day to day political and social activities as well as the rallies organized by him recently,” said the CBI advocate. Moreover, if he is so unwell, how he has been appearing regularly in the court, he added.
“Seriousness of the case could be gauged by the fact that being a Chief Minister he remained a mute spectator, while money was being withdrawn illegally,” said the CBI Advocate.
During arguments on the point of sentencing, some citation of SC judgements were also produced where four years’ punishment was reduced to one year in a similar corruption related case.
Other four convicts also pleaded lenient view on the grounds of ill health and old age which was noted down by the Court.
Arguments of the remaining six convicts will be heard on Saturday through video conferencing, following which the judgment will be pronounced in the case.
The Special CBI Court on December 23 had convicted Prasad along with 15 others in a RC 64A/96 and fixed January 3 to decide on quantum of punishment for them. Sixty-nine-year-old Lalu and other convicts were taken into custody immediately after the pronouncement of the verdict.
RC64A/96 relates to the fraudulent withdrawal from Deoghar Treasury with the help of 6 fake allotment letters during 1991 to 1994.