Free after 76 days, Lalu prays at Durga temple

RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, jailed 76 days ago in the fodder scandal, walked out of prison on bail Monday -- and offered prayers at a Durga temple.

"I have faith in the judiciary," Lalu Prasad told reporters after coming out of the Birsa Munda Central Jail here.

He made light of his stay in prison, saying even Lord Krishna was born in captivity -- but managed to kill the demon Kans.

A former leading light of the Congress-led UPA, Lalu Prasad appealed -- obviously with the Bharatiya Janata Party in mind -- to political parties to keep "communal forces" at bay.

From the jail, the politician went to the Deori temple on the outskirts of Ranchi, about 50 km away, and offered prayers to Goddess Durga

This is the same temple where Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni prays whenever he visits Ranchi.

The Supreme Court granted him bail last week.

On Monday, he was released on two surities each of Rs 25,000. He will have to take the court's permission to leave the country.

His aides said Lalu Prasad will spend Monday night in Ranchi. He will go to Patna by road.

Lalu Prasad was convicted Sep 30 and sentenced to five years imprisonment Oct 3 last year.

Along with another former chief minister Jagannath Mishra, Janata Dal-United MP Jagdish Sharma and others, Lalu Prasad was convicted of illegally withdrawing Rs.37.70 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in 1994-95 when he was the Bihar chief minister.

Lalu Prasad is facing trail in four more fodder scam cases in different CBI courts of Ranchi.