Listen To This Post
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday ordered the framing of charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and several others in the alleged land-for-jobs scam linked to appointments in the Indian Railways.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne observed that Yadav had allegedly used the Railway Ministry as a personal fiefdom, facilitating a criminal enterprise in which public employment was reportedly exchanged for land parcels transferred to members of the Yadav family, with the alleged connivance of railway officials and close aides.
The court ordered charges to be framed against 41 accused, while 52 others—including several railway officials—were discharged. Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the court that five of the 103 accused named in its charge sheet had died. The matter has been listed for formal framing of charges on January 23.
CBI’s Case
The CBI has filed charge sheets against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, their son Tejashwi Yadav, and others. According to the agency, Group-D appointments in the West Central Railway Zone, Jabalpur, were allegedly made during Yadav’s tenure as Union railway minister between 2004 and 2009 in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by job aspirants to Yadav’s family members or associates.
The CBI further alleged that these appointments were made in violation of established norms and that the land transactions involved benami properties, amounting to criminal misconduct and conspiracy.
Defence Stand
The accused have denied the allegations, maintaining that the case is politically motivated. With the court’s order paving the way for charges to be formally framed later this month, the case is set to move into the trial phase, marking a significant development in one of the most high-profile corruption cases involving the former railway minister.
