Delhi court summons former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad, his son Tejashwi Yadav in land for job scam case
The case pertains to Group-D appointments made during Lalu Prasad's tenure as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009 in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of the RJD supremo's family or associates.
by Edited By: Arushi Jaiswal · India TVLand for job scam case: A Delhi court on Wednesday summoned former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, his son and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, along with others, in connection with the land-for-jobs money laundering case. Special Judge Vishal Gogne has directed the accused to appear before the court on October 7.
The judge passed the order after taking cognisance of a supplementary charge sheet against the accused. The final report was filed before the court by the ED on August 6. The central agency filed its case based on an FIR lodged by the CBI.
What is the case?
It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, several people were appointed to Group D positions in various zones of the Indian Railways in return for land they transferred to the family members of Prasad, the then railway minister, and a linked company named AK Infosystems Private Limited.
Katyal was the director of this company when it acquired land from candidates "on behalf" of Lalu Prasad, the ED had earlier claimed in a statement.
The ED case, filed under the criminal sections of the PMLA, stems from a complaint lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav were granted bail by a trial court in October after the CBI filed a chargesheet against them in this case.
According to the CBI, no advertisement or public notice was issued for the appointment, but some residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur. As a quid pro quo, the candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to Prasad's family members at highly discounted rates, up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates, the CBI alleged.
(With PTI inputs)