A special CBI court will announce the quantum of punishment for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in decade-old fodder scam at 2 pm today

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He requested that he be awarded a minimum sentence on health grounds over his diabetes and heart surgery. The RJD leader also said that he was suffering from a bladder infection.

According to lawyers, Lalu Prasad Yadav can be awarded three to seven years of punishment. If he gets three years' term, he would get bail soon after sentencing.

Ahead of sentencing, RJD held a press conference. Party leader Tejashwi Yadav said that BJP and Nitish Kumar are playing negative politics. He also said that people who were creating an atmosphere to scare him can see now that he will neither be scared nor turn away from him ideology.

After the sentence was pronounced, Lalu Prasad Yadav's son Tej Pratap said that they have full faith in judiciary and are confident that the RJD chief will get bail, reported ANI.

The court has slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Lalu Prasad Yadav along with 3.5 years in jail. According to News18, the RJD chief would have to serve six more months if the fine is not paid.

Lalu represents the best and worst of Indian politics. Here is a son of the soil who rose from a khatal (shed for cows and buffalos) to the pinnacle of power in Bihar. His saga has run concurrently with twists and turns of Indian democracy over the last quarter of a century or so.

In a curious coincidence, Bihar strongman Lalu Prasad is getting his comeuppance—3.5 years of jail sentence and Rs 5 lakh fine for corruption—in the very week that Parliament is grappling with the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill or the triple talaq bill in popular parlance. The two matters would seem unrelated but are in fact deeply interconnected.

Lalu Prasad Yadav gets 3.5 years in jail and his just desserts for betraying the trust of social underdogs

After the sentence was pronounced, Lalu Prasad Yadav's son Tej Pratap said that they have full faith in judiciary and are confident that the RJD chief will get bail, reported ANI.

None of the convict in #FodderScam can take bail from Ranchi Court. They will have to move High Court.

Lalu would have been entitled to bail if the jail term had been up to three years. He will now have to move high court for bail.

The court has slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Lalu Prasad Yadav along with 3.5 years in jail. According to News18, the RJD chief would have to serve six more months if the fine is not paid.

Rather than practising BJP’s Simple Rule - “Follow us or We will Fix you”. I will die happily fixing myself for Social justice, harmony & equality.

Conviction is conviction.Either 3.5 yrs or 7 yrs .Our charges against Lalu has been vindicated by Court.

Lalu represents the best and worst of Indian politics. Here is a son of the soil who rose from a khatal (shed for cows and buffalos) to the pinnacle of power in Bihar. His saga has run concurrently with twists and turns of Indian democracy over the last quarter of a century or so.

In a curious coincidence, Bihar strongman Lalu Prasad is getting his comeuppance—3.5 years of jail sentence and Rs 5 lakh fine for corruption—in the very week that Parliament is grappling with the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill or the triple talaq bill in popular parlance. The two matters would seem unrelated but are in fact deeply interconnected.

Lalu Prasad Yadav gets 3.5 years in jail and his just desserts for betraying the trust of social underdogs

Congress has always waged war against corruption. As far as the alliance is concerned, it is with RJD and not particular individuals: RPN Singh, Congress #FodderScam pic.twitter.com/oG7tYZFz2W

Addressing the media after holding meeting with all MLAs, MPs and senior leaders of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Tejashwi accused Narendra Modi government at the Centre and state's chief minister Nitish Kumar of conspiring to frame charges against his family to wipe out opposition from the state.

Just after Lalu Yadav was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail, Tejashwi Yadav vowed to go to public with his father's message and continue to fight for the cause of the poorer section of society, reported News18 .

#JailForLalu -- We are confident of Lalu Prasad Yadav getting bail. Till then Tejashwi is our 'Arjun,' he will lead the party: Tej Pratap Yadav pic.twitter.com/PsboCD0vIB

A special CBI court is likely to announce the quantum of punishment for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in decade-old fodder scam at 2 pm on Saturday, reports said. The special court had on Friday deferred the sentencing of Lalu Prasad Yadav till Saturday in a decades' old case relating to the notorious multi-million-rupees fodder scam, for the third day in a row.

The case relates to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury 21 years ago. The sentence will be pronounced via video conferencing even as Lalu had assured the court on Thursday that he was ready to appear in person. He had also assured the special CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh that there would be no slogans raised in the courtroom by his supporters.

According to lawyers, Lalu can be awarded three to seven years' punishment. If he gets three years' term, he would get bail soon after sentencing. However, the RJD chief on Friday moved an application before the court seeking minimum sentencing citing his poor health condition. In his application, Lalu reportedly said that "the Birsa Munda jail (where he is currently lodged) did not have clean drinking water and this may affect his kidneys. He also added that the jail did not have any super medical facilities".

Earlier, on Thursday's proceedings, Lalu had told the judge that he found it "very cold" in prison. Judge Singh, hearing the case, was quick to reply, "Then, play tabla (musical instrument)".

The special CBI court had on 23 December pronounced Lalu and 15 others guilty of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar treasury 21 years ago when he was the chief minister of the Bihar. Six others, including Congress leader Jagannath Mishra, were acquitted in the case.

The quantum of punishment was to be announced on 3 January, but it was postponed due to a condolence meeting held that day to mourn the death of two lawyers, a CBI advocate had told The Times of India.

The death of advocate Vindheshwari Prasad, also led to changes in the schedule of the court's proceedings, as an association of advocates abstained from work as a mark of respect.

The quantum of punishment for Lalu deferred again on Thursday, though the judge had heard arguments to decide the quantum of punishment. On Friday, judge Singh reserved the sentencing for Lalu for the third consecutive day.

On 30 September, 2013, Lalu, Jagannath Mishra and several others had been convicted in another case pertaining to illegal withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa Treasury in the early 1990s. The latest conviction is the second in the scam.

Lalu faces three additional fodder scam cases for illegal withdrawal of Rs 3.97 crore from the Dumka treasury, Rs 36 crore from the Chaibasa treasury and Rs 184 crore from the Doranda treasury.