In a significant development, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi, on the 22nd of September, issued summons to former Bihar Chief Minister and prominent RJD leader, Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav, along with former railway officials and other individuals accused in the notorious land-for-job scam case. They are scheduled to make their appearance before the court on the 4th of October.
This latest development comes after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed a Delhi court earlier that it had secured the necessary sanctions required to prosecute three individuals implicated in the land-for-jobs case, which revolves around the tenure of former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The accused, including the 75-year-old RJD chief, his wife, and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, along with their son, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, were named in the charge sheet filed by the CBI on July 3. Additionally, 14 other individuals and entities were implicated in the case. They face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, related to criminal conspiracy and cheating, alongside provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The crux of the case centers on Group-D appointments made in the West Central Zone of the railways, located in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. These appointments allegedly took place during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009, in exchange for land parcels transferred to or gifted in the name of the RJD leader’s family and associates. The CBI initiated its investigation on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Prasad and 15 others, encompassing his wife, two daughters, as well as unidentified public servants and private individuals.
This development marks the second charge sheet filed in connection with the case. The first was submitted in October of the previous year, relating to appointments made in the Central Zone of the railways, headquartered in Mumbai.
The timing of the latest charge sheet holds political significance, as it followed a meeting in Patna on June 23, where numerous opposition parties, including Lalu Prasad’s RJD, resolved to unite against the BJP in the forthcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
With contributions from PTI
