In yet another setback for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, a Delhi court on Thursday ordered the framing of charges against the former Railway minister in the alleged IRCTC scam case. Along with Yadav, the court also ordered charges would be framed against his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav.
The order was passed by Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court.
The court said there is a strong suspicion of abuse of office by the former Railway minister. Additionally, it also framed charges against Lara Projects, Sarla Gupta, Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata Hotels, Vinay Kochhar and Vijay Kochar. However, Rahul Yadav, Gaurav Gupta, Nath Mal Kankarnia, Vijay Tripathi, DN Tulshyan, Rajiv Relan and Abhishek Finance were discharged by the court.
"It is a court matter, and it will be decided in court. We will put forward our case strongly before the court," Tejashwi told news agency PTI after the court's observations.
The court was earlier scheduled to order the framing of charges against Lalu and his family on August 29, but it was deferred to September 7 and subsequently to Thursday. According to the court, the RJD patriarch had used the railway ministry as his personal fief, using it to acquire land parcels in connivance with railway officials and his aides.
Lalu and family had earlier this year moved to the Delhi High Court, opposing the framing of charges, but the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had opposed it. As per the probe agency, Lalu had entered into a "criminal conspiracy" with Sarla Gupta, owner of Sujata Hotels, and IRCTC officials for "undue pecuniary advantage to himself and others".
Under it, BNR hotels were transferred to Sujata Hotels through a "rigged and manipulated" tender process that was managed by former IRCTC managing director (MD) PK Goyal following which the land parcels in Patna were acquired by Lalu and his family. This conspiracy, as per the CBI, was hatched between 2004 and 2014.
The CBI probe was opposed by the Lalu family, but the troubles for it only increased after the Enforcement Directorate also registered a case against the former Railway minister.
"The entire acquisition (of land in this case) raises grave suspicions, and as a prosecutor, I would use the term dubious. This is how the land is acquired. Purchase of land was when Mrs Yadav was the chief minister," Additional Solicitor General DP Singh, while representing the CBI, had said during a hearing in Delhi High Court.
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