RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary sentenced to one year in prison in defamation case

RJD national vice president Shivanand Tiwary was on Tuesday sentenced to one year in prison by a Patna court in a criminal defamation suit filed by Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Jha five years ago.

Patna, Dec 5: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) national vice president Shivanand Tiwary was sentenced to one year in prison on Tuesday by a Patna court in a criminal defamation suit filed by Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Jha five years ago. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Tiwari, a former state minister himself. According to Jha's counsel Madhukar Anand, the court has also granted provisional bail to Shivanand Tiwary and given him 30 days to appeal against the order.

Background of the Case

Jha, who holds key portfolios like water resources and information and public relations in the Nitish Kumar government, had filed the petition way back in 2018 when he was a national general secretary of the Janata Dal (United) [JDU]. Jha had moved the court against Tiwary, taking exception to comments the latter had made about his close relationship with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JDU's supreme leader.

Kumar has realigned with the RJD, which he had dumped in 2017, and hinted that he was now willing to pass on the mantle to his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, whose father Lalu Prasad heads the party. Tiwary, a veteran socialist leader who has known both Prasad and Kumar for nearly five decades, has been a member of the parties floated by the two leaders at different points of time.

Significance of the Verdict

The verdict in the defamation suit against Tiwary is significant as it comes at a time when political realignments are taking place in Bihar. The RJD and the JDU, which were once bitter rivals, have now joined hands to form a government in the state. The verdict may also have implications for the future of the RJD-JDU alliance.

The sentencing of Shivanand Tiwary to one year in prison in a criminal defamation suit filed by Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Jha has sent shockwaves through the political circles in the state. The verdict is likely to have a bearing on the ongoing political realignments in Bihar and may also affect the future of the RJD-JDU alliance.