Ex-RJD MLA Sentenced 10-yrs of Rigorous Imprisonment
Patna: June 22, 2007
A Bihar court on Friday sentenced Rajendra Prasad Yadav, the former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator and the husband of Bihar MLA from Atri in Gaya district Kunti Devi, to ten years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 50,000 in connection with the kidnapping of two political operatives in 2005.
Failing to pay up Rs. 50,000, Yadav will have to serve an additional five years, the court decreed.
Yadav, who was convicted in the case last Wednesday, was accused of kidnapping Lal Bahadur Yadav and Mithilesh Paswan, a day before Bihar Assembly polls on February 2, 2005.
Lal Bahadur Yadav and Mithilesh Paswan, the two supporters of Ravindra Yadav who was also contesting election from the same constituency, were asked to come out of their houses after which the former MLA and his goons forced them in a waiting vehicle and took them to an undisclosed location.
Rajendra Yadav, who was later arrested and charged with abductions, then escaped from the police custody last December allegedly with the help from his wife and MLA Kunti Devi, was declared an absconder until May 14 this year when he was recaptured while hiding in a field.
Two more persons, including the son of Yadav, who took active part in the abduction drama, are still running from the law, Gaya Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr. Amit Kumar Jain said.
Meanwhile, prosecutor Bhola Sharma, following the Friday sentencing, expressed disappointment over the punishment.
"This man has a long history of crime and deserved to be locked up in jail for life. Ten years is simply not enough for someone like Rajendra Prasad Yadav," Sharma said.
Yadav's lawyer said they intended to challenge the sentencing in Patna High Court.
At least nine more criminal cases including those of murder, escaping from police custody, carrying illegal firearms, and kidnapping are pending against Yadav in various courts.
When Yadav was barred from contesting elections in 2005 because of his criminal history, he borrowed a page from the RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's book and introduced his wife to the world of politics eventually resulting in her victory.
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