Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Monday framed corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating charges against RJD supremo Lalu Yadav in the IRCTC Scam case. Besides, Tejashwi Yadav and Rabri Devi have also been charged with several offences.
This has come as a major setback for the RJD ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls.
The trio, along with 11 others, have been charged in connection with alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels during Lalu Yadav’s tenure as Union Railway Minister.
The charges imposed on the accused include Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to the offence of cheating and Section 120B of the IPC, which deals with criminal conspiracy. Additionally, in the case of Lalu, charges were also framed under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which relate specifically to offences committed by public servants involving criminal misconduct.
The court noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had submitted a chain of evidence supporting the allegations.
Accused deny charges
All three key accused—Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav—pleaded not guilty and stated they would face trial.
Rabri Devi said, “This is a false case. We will fight it legally.”
Tejashwi Yadav echoed her stance, saying, “We reject all allegations and are ready to face trial.”
Undue benefits were extended to Lalu family, says court
The court observed that Lalu Prasad Yadav was aware of the conspiracy and that undue benefits were extended to his family members in return for awarding IRCTC contracts. It stated that land was acquired by the Yadav family at prices significantly lower than market value in exchange for contract favours.
Land-for-job case hearing deferred
However, the hearing for the Land for job case has been postponed today. From October 27, the Rouse Avenue Court will conduct day-to-day hearings for the IRCTC case. Meanwhile, the hearing for the Land for Job case will take place on November 10.
The CBI case alleges that during Lalu Prasad Yadav's tenure as Railway Minister (between 2004 and 2009), people from Bihar were given jobs in Group D posts in cities like Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur. In exchange for these jobs, the beneficiaries transferred their land in the name of Lalu Prasad’s family members or companies owned by his family.
