A Delhi court has granted bail to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and their son Tejashwi Yadav, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, in connection with an alleged scam involving land-for-job in the railways.. Special Judge Geetanjali Goel provided relief to the accused after they appeared before the court in response to a summons issued against them.
The court summoned the accused on September 22 after taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed against them and the other accused. The evidence “prima facie” showed the commission of various offences, including corruption, criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, according to officials.
The charge sheet was filed by the CBI on July 3 in connection with the alleged scam. Prasad is out on bail in this case as well as the fodder scam cases. This was the second charge sheet filed by the CBI in the case, but the first in which Tejashwi Yadav has been named as an accused.
The case is related to Group-D appointments in the West Central Zone of Railways, which were made in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh during the tenure of Lalu Prasad as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009. The appointments were allegedly made in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of the RJD supremo’s family or associates.
The CBI registered the case on May 18, 2022, against Prasad and 15 others, including his wife, two daughters, and unidentified public servants and private persons. The first charge sheet in the case was filed by the CBI in October last year against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, and others appointments were related to the Central Zone of the railways headquartered in Mumbai.
Overall, the decision to grant bail to the accused has come as a relief for them. However, the investigations into the alleged scam are still ongoing, and it remains to be seen what further developments will arise in the case.
Written by N. Yogendra Mani of 5th semester of KL University Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh, an intern under Legal Vidhiya
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