CBI tells court a school with no students was used to create fake certificates in the land-for-job scam. Unqualified candidates were allegedly given railway jobs in exchange for land sold to Lalu Yadav’s family.
New Delhi: Today, on June 4, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) once again strongly highlighted major irregularities in the recruitment of Group D jobs in Indian Railways during the ongoing hearing in the Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday.
These jobs were allegedly given in return for land that was either gifted or sold at very low prices to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and his family members.
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The case is being heard by Special Judge Vishal Gogne, who has now scheduled the next hearing for June 5.
The CBI presented its arguments on how fake documents and illegal land deals were allegedly used to provide jobs to unqualified candidates in exchange for property.
The CBI, represented by Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Advocate D.P. Singh along with Advocate Manu Mishra, stated that there was a fake school with no students that existed only to create forged certificates and mark sheets for job applicants.
During the hearing, the CBI submitted that:
“The accused committed forgery of educational certificates to show them eligible,”
and in response to a query by the judge, they added,
“They could not write even their name.”
They also argued that individuals who never attended any school were given government jobs using these fake certificates.
the SPP stated,
“Candidates who were not able to write their name were given jobs for land,”
they added,
“Candidates who were never enrolled in school used the certificates,”
The CBI presented a chart to the court showing that a piece of land was transferred in the name of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son, Tejasvi Yadav, for just Rs. 50,000, while the actual market value of the land was around Rs. 85,000.
the agency pointed out,
“It shows that land was transferred at a lower rate,”
The investigation also raised suspicions over how almost all candidates selected for Group D railway posts in some zones came from a single state, without following a proper verification process.
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The CBI argued that there was heavy pressure to process these job applications quickly.
“There was enormous pressure to clear the application, with multiple applications cleared the same day,”
SPP D.P. Singh stated. He questioned the speed and irregularity of the recruitment process by asking,
“Why does it happen so quickly?”
The prosecutor emphasized that these appointments were made without verifying the authenticity of the educational documents.
the SPP noted,
“The process was so tedious the certificates were never verified,”
Additionally, the CBI submitted that there is clear evidence of money being exchanged with individuals whose land was either sold or transferred—directly or indirectly—to Lalu Prasad Yadav at rates far below market value.
they said,
“There is sufficient evidence to show the cash transaction with the person whose land was sold directly or indirectly to Lalu Prasad Yadav at a discounted rate,”
further stating that,
“The agency alleged that these people were appointed.”
The CBI revealed that land parcels covering over one lakh square feet were allegedly purchased for just Rs. 26 lakh, far below the market rates.
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Earlier, on May 31, the Delhi High Court had rejected Lalu Prasad Yadav’s plea to stay the trial court proceedings, allowing the case to move forward without interruption.
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