Lalu Prasad Yadav Set for Prosecution in Land-for-Job Scandal: CBI Acquires Necessary Sanction
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially communicated to a Delhi court that they’ve secured the essential sanctions to prosecute former railway minister, Lalu Prasad, in the alleged land-for-job scam. This revelation was presented before Special Judge Geetanjali Goel on Tuesday.
The case delves into claims that during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009, Group-D appointments were orchestrated in the Western Central Zone located in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. In exchange for these roles, it’s alleged that land parcels were
“gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of RJD supremo’s family or associates,”
as per official sources.
While the green light to prosecute Lalu Prasad is now in place, the CBI highlighted that they are still in the process of obtaining sanctions for three other accused: Maheep Kapur, Manoj Pande, and Dr. P L Bankar. Addressing this, the judge stated,
“It is submitted that sanction has been received qua accused Lalu Prasad Yadav and the same has been placed on record. However, sanction in respect of three other persons… is awaited and it is submitted that the same is likely to be received within one week. Put up for same on September 21, 2023.”
On July 3, the CBI had lodged a charge sheet against the 75-year-old RJD chief, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, and their son, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, in association with the alleged scam. This marked the second charge sheet by the CBI in this case, but notably, it was the
“first in which Tejashwi Yadav has been named as an accused.”
Alongside the Yadav family, the charge sheet also identifies 14 additional individuals and entities. The accused face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, encompassing those related to
“criminal conspiracy, cheating and others”
as well as stipulations from the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI had inaugurated the case on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Prasad and 15 other individuals, which encompassed his wife, two daughters, and some unidentified public servants and private persons. The agency’s first charge sheet in this matter was filed the previous October, concentrating on appointments made in the Mumbai-centric Central Zone of the Railways.
Intriguingly, the unveiling of the second charge sheet was timed closely after numerous opposition parties, inclusive of Lalu Prasad’s RJD, resolved
“to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections”
following a pivotal meeting in Patna on June 23.