RJD leader Lalu Prasad's lawyer Surinder Singh from Jabalpur pleaded on the point of sentence in the fodder scam case in the Ranchi CBI court on Thursday. The lawyer requested for a maximum of 3-year sentence for him owing to his ill health.
The CBI demanded deterrent punishment for the convicts saying it is the mother of all scams and involves prominent people. He said that the punishment wìll be a lesson for others.
The argument on sentencing are finished and the court is expected to pronounciethe sentence at around 2:30pm.
The CBI court in Ranchi will announce the quantum of sentence to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and 34 of those convicted in the multi-crore fodder scam case through videoconferencing.
On Monday, the court of special judge PK Singh had held Lalu and 44 others guilty of fraudulently withdrawing Rs. 37.70 crore from Chaibasa treasury between 1994 and 1995. Lalu also faces disqualification from Parliament as MP after his sentence.
Former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra, also convicted in the case, is undergoing treatment at Ranchi’s Rajendra Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).
Out of the 45 people convicted, 34 -- including Lalu – are lodged at Jharkhand’s Birsa Munda Central Jail since Monday.
The court had released eight convicts on bail the same day as they were sentenced to three years imprisonment. The court had also issued arrest warrant against three convicts who failed to appear before the court.
{{/usCountry}}The court had released eight convicts on bail the same day as they were sentenced to three years imprisonment. The court had also issued arrest warrant against three convicts who failed to appear before the court.
{{/usCountry}}Video: Lalu to be sentenced today in fodder scam case