PIL against Lalu in J’khand HC over ‘phone calls’ to BJP MLA

| | Ranchi
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PIL against Lalu in J’khand HC over ‘phone calls’ to BJP MLA

Friday, 27 November 2020 | PNS | Ranchi

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Jharkhand High Court on Thursday against incarcerated Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad after an audio recording of his alleged phone call persuading a BJP MLA to join the UPA fold in Bihar went viral.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anuranjan Ashok through his lawyer Rajeev Kumar filed the PIL in the court claiming that the use of a mobile phone by a prisoner was a blatant violation of the jail manual and sought the court’s intervention in the matter. The petition further stated that Prasad was making phone calls to BJP leaders with intent to destabilize the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in neighbouring Bihar.

In the audio clip, a voice similar to that of Prasad is heard making assurances of a ministerial berth to a BJP MLA if he supports the RJD during voting for the Bihar Assembly speaker. “Be absent from the Assembly on the day the Speaker is chosen. Tell people that you have Corona,” the voice in the audio clip says. “If the Speaker is on our side, then we will topple the government,” it further states.

Soon after the PIL, Prasad was moved from Kelly Bungalow, which is Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Director’s official residence, to the paying ward at RIMS. Prasad was staying in the director’s palatial bungalow since September, and the newly-appointed RIMS director, Dr. Kameshwar Prasad, had to stay at a guest house.

The PIL on Thursday also pointed out that the high court in the past has taken cognizance of instances wherein RIMS cottages were used by high profile convicts for enjoyment purposes.    

Prasad, who is a convict in a multimillion fodder scam, has been undergoing treatment at the state-run RIMS in Ranchi. His shifting from the paying ward of the hospital to the director’s bungalow was criticized by the opposition parties, which claimed that Lalu was not being treated as a prisoner.Inspector General (Prisons), Birendra Bhushan said that he has ordered an inquiry into the matter after hearing the purported audio recording of the conversation between Prasad and a BJP MLA in Bihar. “A prisoner is not allowed to use mobile phones. If the authenticity of the audio recording is proved, then an investigation will be initiated to find out how a mobile phone reached Lalu,” said Bhushan.Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Kumar Modi blew the whistle on the incident on Tuesday night after he claimed that Prasad had access to mobile phones, and followed it up by sharing an audio recording of telephonic conversation between Lalu and BJP’s Pirpainti MLA Lalan Paswan. 

Meanwhile, Ranchi deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan on Thursday gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the superintendent of Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi for stating categorically how and under what circumstances a mobile phone reached Lalu at RIMS.

A CBI court on December 23, 2017 convicted Prasad in a fodder scam case related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs.89 lakh from the Deoghar treasury from 1991 to 1994 and sent him to jail. A month later, he was convicted in another fodder scam case and sentenced to five years of imprisonment.

He was admitted in the cardiology wing of RIMS the next year after he complained of discomfort while serving imprisonment in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. Since then, he has been undergoing treatment at the hospital. In 2018, he was referred to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi from where he was later discharged and sent back to Ranchi.

A hearing is scheduled on Friday on a bail petition filed by Prasad in a fodder scam case. His lawyer had earlier told the court that the former Bihar CM has served more than half of his imprisonment term.

Welcoming the decision, State BJP Spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said that ultimately it is a triumph of truth. He said that due to continuous movement and pressure by BJP the State government had to finally shift Lalu to RIMS paying ward. He said that if Lalu’s health is better, he should be shifted to jail hospital for treatment.

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