New Delhi: In a significant development, the president of Bharat, Droupadi Murmu on May 8 granted sanction to prosecute former Minister of Railways and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav for his involvement in a money laundering case related to alleged railways ‘land for job scam’.
The president on Thursday mandated that the former railways minister be prosecuted under section 197(1) of the Criminal Penal Code. This comes after a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi has taken cognisance of chargesheets filed against Lalu Prasad Yadav and his aides in the matter.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against Lalu Yadav and others including his wife, two daughters and others in May 2022.
It is alleged that the then Union Minister of Railways during the period 2004-2009 had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members etc., in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group “D” Post in different Zones of Railways.
It was further alleged that in lieu thereof, the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold and gifted their land situated in Patna in favour of the family members of the said Minister and a private company controlled by his family members, which was also involved in the transfer of such immovable properties in the name of said family members.
It was also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointments of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur.
The agency filed a chargeshhet against Yadav, his two daughters and 13 others in October 2022. In all, the CBI has filed three chargesheet in the case.
ED’s investigation into the case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) took cognisance of the matter and launched a probe under PMLA in August 2024.
The agency filed a chargesheet in the case naming an alleged associate of Lalu Yadav’s family and other family members of the RJD Chief in January 2024. Months later the agency in its supplementary chargesheet named Lalu Yadav, his son and former deputy CM Tejashvi Yadav and 8 others in the case.
Earlier in March this year, Lalu Yadav, his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi appeared before ED in connection with the case in Patna. The sleuths of the agency also questioned RJD MLA Tej Pratap Yadav. According to reports, the fresh round of questioning was being done after emergence of some additional facts into the case.
The CBI on the other hand also concluded its arguments on charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejaswi Yadav, former Minister Prem Chand Gupta, and other accused in the case in March this year.
