In a recent development, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) veteran Shivanand Tiwari has been sentenced to one year in prison and fined Rs 10,000 by a Patna court in a criminal defamation case. The case was filed by Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Jha five years ago during Nitish Kumar’s tenure as the head of the NDA 2.0 government in Bihar.
Key Points:
Sentencing: The Patna MP/MLA court handed a one-year prison sentence and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Shivanand Tiwari in the defamation case.
Case Background: The defamation case was filed by Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha in 2018, leading to the recent court decision.
Provisional Bail: While sentenced, Shivanand Tiwari has been granted provisional bail and has 30 days to appeal against the order.
Political Reaction: The BJP seized the opportunity to criticize the JD(U)-RJD ruling alliance, attributing the court decision to the ‘sanskriti and sanskar (legacy)’ of the RJD. BJP spokesperson Kuntal Krishnan suggested that, considering Tiwari’s age and the generational gap, it might be time for him to “hang up his boots.”
Political Background: Shivanand Tiwari, a prominent figure in Bihar politics for over five decades, has affiliations with both Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar and has been associated with both parties.
This development adds a new chapter to the political landscape in Bihar, with Shivanand Tiwari facing legal repercussions in the defamation case filed by Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Jha.
