LI Network
Published on: 24 September 2023 at 10:30 IST
Delhi court has issued summonses to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and their son Tejasvi Yadav, who currently serves as the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. They are summoned in connection with an alleged land-for-job scam within the railways.
Special Judge Geetanjali Goel has taken cognizance of the charge sheet filed against the accused and noted that the evidence prima facie suggests the commission of various offenses, including corruption, criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery.
The judge issued the summons, asking the accused to appear before the court on October 4, considering that the charge sheet was filed without their arrest.
“A perusal of the charge sheet and the documents and material on record, prima facie shows commission of offenses under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with Sections 420 (cheating) and 471 (forgery of documents) of IPC and relevant Sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and substantive offenses thereof. Accordingly, cognizance is taken of the said offenses,” the judge stated.
The CBI recently informed the court that it has obtained the requisite sanction to prosecute Lalu Prasad, a former railway minister.
The case revolves around Group-D appointments made in the West Central Zone of the railways in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009. Allegedly, these appointments were made in exchange for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of Lalu Prasad’s family or associates.
The CBI registered the case on May 18, 2022, against Prasad and 15 others, including his wife, two daughters, and unidentified public servants and private individuals. This is the second charge sheet filed by the CBI in the case, but it is the first to name Tejashwi Yadav as an accused.
Apart from the Prasad family members, the federal agency has also named 14 individuals and entities in the charge sheet.
Lalu Prasad is currently out on bail in this case, as well as in fodder scam cases. The CBI filed the first charge sheet in the case in October last year, relating to appointments made in the Central Zone of the railways, headquartered in Mumbai.
The second charge sheet comes in the wake of a resolution by over a dozen opposition parties, including Lalu Prasad’s RJD, to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly against the BJP, decided at a meeting in Patna on June 23.