The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the CBI on Tejashwi Yadav’s plea challenging the framing of charges against him in the alleged IRCTC scam case. The court will hear the matter along with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s petition.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav moved a petition challenging the framing of charges against him in the alleged IRCTC hotel scam.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma took note of the submission made by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Maninder Singh, appearing for Yadav, who informed the court that a similar plea filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is already scheduled for hearing on January 14. The court agreed to hear Tejashwi Yadav’s petition on the same date and directed the CBI to submit its response.
The case arose from allegations related to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009. The CBI has alleged that contracts for operating IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri were awarded to a private company named Sujata Hotels due to irregularities in the tendering process.
Investigators allege that in exchange for the hotel leases, valuable land and shares were transferred at prices far below market value to entities allegedly connected to Lalu Yadav’s family, including Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav.
Earlier, on October 13, a special court at Rouse Avenue framed charges of corruption, cheating, and criminal conspiracy against Lalu Prasad Yadav. Tejashwi Yadav and Rabri Devi were also charged with conspiracy and cheating in the matter.
In its order, the trial court observed that there was sufficient preliminary material to suggest that the former railway minister was aware of and allegedly influenced key decisions related to the hotel transfers. The court also pointed to the possible undervaluation of land parcels involved in the transactions.
“There were material modifications in the tender process…It has emerged as a distinct possibility that at the point of sale, the land parcels were undervalued and then came to be vested in the hands of Lalu Yadav,”
the trial court said.
The Yadav family has rejected the allegations, stating that the investigation lacks concrete evidence and accusing the probe agency of acting with political motives.