All comfort, no work for Lalu in jail
RANCHI: Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad can enjoy more leisurely days
in Birsa Munda central jail, where he has been kept
after conviction in the multi-crore fodder scam case. Prison authorities have
not allotted any work to Lalu and he spends his days watching TV. In all
likelihood, a job will be allotted to him only next month, sources said. Lalu
has been awarded, five years of rigorous imprisonment, which means that he has
to work and earn his wages.
The authorities have not even initiated the process to allot the job to Lalu. Jail superintendent Virendra Kumar Singh said: "No decision has been taken about when he will be assigned a job. We will take a call after the high court's decision on Lalu's bail plea." Singh added that the former Bihar chief minister will be allotted the job of teaching. On October 17, Lalu moved the Jharkhand high court against the CBI court's judgment and also filed a bail petition. The court has admitted the plea, but is yet to fix a date for the hearing.
Jail IG Shailendra Bhushan said it is the prerogative of the prison superintendent to assign a job to inmates. "Though I cannot exactly tell you off-hand, there is no specific time-frame within which a prisoner should be assigned a job. The superintendent examines the prisoner and allots suitable jobs," said Bhushan.
Meanwhile, Lalu enjoys VIP status in the jail -- he is separated from other prisoners, has special cooks, a separate bedroom with attached western bathroom, a mosquito net, cot among other facilities. He is also allowed to meet scores of people everyday. Most of the visitors include high-profile politicians like Jharkhand ministers Annapurna Devi, Suresh Paswan and Congress MP Subodh Kant Sahay.
A PIL was filed against the comforts Lalu enjoys inside jail. The high court has set October 28 as the date to hear the PIL, said Rajiv Kumar who has filed the PIL. "Rule 1001 of Jharkhand jail manual says that a VIP inmate can meet only one person a fortnight and he can discuss private affairs and not politics," said Kumar.
The authorities have not even initiated the process to allot the job to Lalu. Jail superintendent Virendra Kumar Singh said: "No decision has been taken about when he will be assigned a job. We will take a call after the high court's decision on Lalu's bail plea." Singh added that the former Bihar chief minister will be allotted the job of teaching. On October 17, Lalu moved the Jharkhand high court against the CBI court's judgment and also filed a bail petition. The court has admitted the plea, but is yet to fix a date for the hearing.
Jail IG Shailendra Bhushan said it is the prerogative of the prison superintendent to assign a job to inmates. "Though I cannot exactly tell you off-hand, there is no specific time-frame within which a prisoner should be assigned a job. The superintendent examines the prisoner and allots suitable jobs," said Bhushan.
Meanwhile, Lalu enjoys VIP status in the jail -- he is separated from other prisoners, has special cooks, a separate bedroom with attached western bathroom, a mosquito net, cot among other facilities. He is also allowed to meet scores of people everyday. Most of the visitors include high-profile politicians like Jharkhand ministers Annapurna Devi, Suresh Paswan and Congress MP Subodh Kant Sahay.
A PIL was filed against the comforts Lalu enjoys inside jail. The high court has set October 28 as the date to hear the PIL, said Rajiv Kumar who has filed the PIL. "Rule 1001 of Jharkhand jail manual says that a VIP inmate can meet only one person a fortnight and he can discuss private affairs and not politics," said Kumar.
MD NAUSHAD ALAM
PGDM 1 SEM
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