A Delhi court on Friday ordered the framing of charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, their children Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Misa Bharti, and several others in connection with the alleged Railways land-for-jobs scam.
Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts said Lalu Yadav “used the Ministry of Railways as his personal fiefdom in order to carry out a criminal enterprise where public employment was used as a bargaining chip to acquire land parcels by the Yadav family in connivance with railway officials and his close aides.”
The court framed charges against 46 of the 98 surviving accused in the case and discharged 52, which included several railway officials. Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had submitted a verification report noting that out of the 103 accused named in its chargesheet, five had died. The matter has been posted for formal framing of charges on January 23.
The case stems from allegations by the CBI that between 2004 and 2009, during Lalu Yadav’s tenure as railway minister, Group D jobs in the West Central Zone of Indian Railways, based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, were allotted to candidates in return for land parcels transferred to Yadav’s family members or associates. According to investigators, these appointments were made in violation of norms, and the transactions often involved benami properties, amounting to criminal misconduct and conspiracy.
“The plea of Mr Lalu Yadav and his family members to be discharged is completely unwarranted,” Judge Gogne said. He added that the chargesheet indicates that Lalu Yadav’s close associates facilitated the acquisition of land in lieu of jobs across the country.
The Yadav family has denied all allegations, asserting that the case is politically motivated. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the money laundering angle, having attached properties worth over ₹600 crore as proceeds of crime.
In the proceedings, the CBI was represented by Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh along with Advocates Manu Mishra, Imaan Khera, and Garima Saxena. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, with Advocates Varun Jain, Navin Kumar, and Satish Kumar, appeared for Lalu Yadav.
The court charged Lalu Yadav with corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, alongside other offenses under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), while his family members were charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy.
