Lalu to hear punishment in jail via videoconferencing

Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail after his conviction in the fodder scam case today, will hear the arguments on the quantum of sentence and the punishment on October 3 in the jail through videoconferencing.

The facility would be made following an order by the special CBI court of Pravas Kumar Singh, who today convicted Yadav and 44 others in the case pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in the 1990s.

Yadav wanted to keep his Z+ security inside the jail, however, the court turned down his plea. "After his conviction, Yadav had sought the court's permission to keep his Z+ security with him, but the court did not permit," said additional district magistrate (law and order) and jail the superintendent Dharmendra Pandey.

According to the jail superintendent, Yadav has been lodged in the upper division of the jail and being provided with facilities as per the jail manual. Another former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, sitting JDU MP Jagdish Sharma and former JDU MLA R K Rana, also convicted in the case, have also been given separate units in the upper division, he said, adding that Mishra is admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences on health grounds. Yadav, Sharma and Rana will be served the jail food, he said.