Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad was granted bail by a court in Bihar's Siwan district on Friday in a 2011 case involving the alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct during an Assembly election campaign.
Prasad appeared before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM)-I after warrants and a proclamation notice had been issued against him for repeatedly failing to attend court proceedings.
His lawyer, Kameshwar Tiwari, told reporters that the RJD leader had been unable to appear before the court earlier because of health-related problems and that his absence was not deliberate.
๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐
"Lalu Prasad could not appear before the court earlier due to health issues; therefore, the reason behind not attending the court was not intentional. I informed the court about my client's condition. The court accepted his plea and granted him bail," Tiwari said.
The lawyer maintained that Prasad's failure to attend earlier hearings was not an attempt to evade judicial proceedings, but was attributable to his health condition.
After considering the explanation presented on his behalf, the court accepted his plea and granted him bail.
๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
The case dates back to 2011, when Prasad allegedly addressed an election rally beyond the permitted campaigning hours on the final day of campaigning for the Daraunda Assembly constituency.
The alleged violation resulted in a case being registered against the RJD leader for breaching election campaign restrictions.
The other accused in the case, Parmeshwar Singh, who was the RJD candidate at the time, has since died.
The proceedings against Prasad had continued, with his repeated absence from court eventually leading to the issuance of warrants and a proclamation notice.
๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐
A large number of RJD supporters gathered outside the court premises in Siwan as Prasad appeared for the hearing.
Following the bail order, the RJD chief visited the residence of Osama Sahab, son of the late gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin, and met members of his family.
Osama Sahab is the RJD MLA from the Raghunathpur Assembly constituency in Siwan.
Prasad's visit to the family followed his appearance before the court, bringing his trip to Siwan to a close after the bail proceedings.