New Delhi, September 22, 2023 – Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court has issued summons to former Bihar Chief Minister and prominent RJD leader, Lalu Prasad Yadav, along with former railway officials and other accused individuals in a high-profile land-for-job scam case. Lalu Prasad Yadav is set to appear before the court on October 4, 2023.
Background: The summons issued on September 22, 2023, follow the receipt of necessary sanctions by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute three key accused individuals in the land-for-jobs case, which revolves around former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. The CBI informed Special Judge Geetanjali Goel that they had obtained the required sanctions for Maheep Kapur, Manoj Pande, and P L Bankar from competent authorities.
The case originally surfaced when, on July 3, 2023, the CBI filed a charge sheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and their son, Tejashwi Yadav, who currently serves as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state. In addition to the Yadav family, the CBI implicated 14 other individuals and entities in its charge sheet. The accused parties are facing charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to criminal conspiracy and cheating, as well as provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The alleged scam centers around Group-D appointments made within the West Central Zone of the railways, located in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as the railway minister, spanning from 2004 to 2009. It is alleged that these appointments were granted in exchange for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family or associates.
The CBI initiated the case on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Prasad Yadav and 15 others, including his wife, two daughters, and unidentified public servants and private individuals. The agency filed the first charge sheet in October of the previous year, focusing on appointments made in the Mumbai-headquartered Central Zone of the railways. The second charge sheet was issued shortly after a meeting of over a dozen opposition parties, including Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, during which they resolved to unite against the BJP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
News Summary:
- Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav has been summoned in the land-for-jobs scam case and is scheduled to appear in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on October 4, 2023.
- The CBI has obtained the necessary sanctions to prosecute key accused individuals, including Maheep Kapur, Manoj Pande, and P L Bankar.
- The case involves allegations of Group-D job appointments in the railways in exchange for land parcels during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as railway minister from 2004 to 2009.
- Lalu Prasad Yadav, along with his family and others, faces charges related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
- The case has political implications, with opposition parties, including Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, uniting against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.