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The court also noted that the material placed on record by the probe agency was sufficient at this stage to proceed against the accused for their alleged roles in the case.
Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi (File photo credit: PTI)
A Delhi Court on Friday observed that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Union Railway Minister Lalu Yadav and his family members “acted as a criminal syndicate”, while framing charged against them in the alleged land-for-job scam case.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne, while passing the order on framing charges against the Lalu family, stated that on the “touchstone of suspicion, there existed an overarching conspiracy on the part of Lalu Yadav towards using public employment as a bargaining chip for receiving immovable properties for his family (daughters, wife and sons)”.
The court also noted that the material placed on record by the probe agency was sufficient at this stage to proceed against the accused for their alleged roles in the case.
The court has framed charges against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav and daughter Misa Bharti.
Meanwhile, a detailed order by the court is still awaited. A total of 107 individuals are named as accused in the case. However, five of them passed away, and proceedings against them stand abated, as reported by LiveLaw.
How it started
In May 2022, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a case against Lalu Yadav and his family members on charges that he obtained land from aspirants in lieu of jobs in the railways from 2004 to 2009 when he was serving as the Union Railway Minister.
After conducting a preliminary enquiry since September 2021, the CBI registered the FIR under offences linked to criminal conspiracy and the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
What exactly is the land-for-job scam?
According to the allegations by the CBI, during the period 2004-2009, Lalu Yadav had received advantages in the form of transfer of landed properties in the name of his family members in exchange for the appointment of ‘substitutes’ on Group D Posts in different zones of railways.
The candidates were appointed within three days of applying in “undue haste” by the railway officials, alleged the CBI.
Several residents of Patna allegedly sold or “gifted” their lands in the state capital to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the former Bihar Chief Minister, and his family members.
The CBI also alleged that the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur, even though no such advertisements or public notice were issued for such appointments.
Under the modus operandi, about 1,05,292 sq ft of immovable properties situated in Patna were acquired by Yadav and his family members through five sales deeds and two gift deeds, with the payment made to the seller shown in cash in the documents, the CBI alleged.
Charge sheet against Lalu and family
In October 2022, the CBI filed a charge sheet against Yadav and his family members, including his wife Rabri Devi and daughter Misa Bharti. The CBI also charge-sheeted 16 people, including two former senior railway officials, and seven candidates, who had allegedly bagged jobs in exchange for their land.
“During the probe, it was found that the accused, in conspiracy with the then general manager, Central Railways, and chief personnel officer, Central Railways, engaged persons as ‘substitutes’ in lieu of land either in their name or in the name of their close relatives,” an agency spokesperson said. “This land was acquired at prices lower than the prevailing circle rate and much lower than the market rate. It was also alleged that the candidates used false transfer certificates and submitted false attested documents to the Ministry of Railways,” the official added. “About 1,05,292 sq feet of land/immovable properties were acquired by the family members of said minister through five sale deeds and two gift deeds, showing the payment made to the seller in cash in most of the land transfers,” the CBI official said, as quoted by The Economic Times.
The CBI also maintained that the appointments made in the purported exchange for land were not in accordance with the standards or guidelines set by the Indian Railways.
In January 2023, the central government green-lit the CBI to prosecute Lalu Prasad in the land-for-jobs case.
January 09, 2026, 12:09 IST
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