The Rouse Avenue Court reserved its order on February 25 regarding the charge sheet in the land-for-job scam, naming 78 accused, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and 30 public servants.
New Delhi: The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday reserved its order on taking cognisance of the final charge sheet in the land-for-job scam case. The charge sheet names 78 accused, including former Bihar Chief Minister and ex-Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, public servants, and other individuals. The court will announce its decision on February 25.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has charged 30 public servants, including Lalu Yadav. The agency informed the court that prosecution sanctions have been obtained for all accused, and the court now needs to take cognisance of the charges.
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Senior advocate D P Singh, representing the CBI, stated that a list of 30 common witnesses has been prepared and emphasized that the case should be tried as a single case across all charge sheets filed by the agency.
The CBI first registered the case on May 18, 2022, accusing Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family of accepting land in exchange for giving jobs in the Indian Railways during his tenure as Union Railway Minister (2004–2009).
The final charge sheet, filed on June 7, 2023, named Lalu Prasad Yadav and 77 others, including 38 candidates who allegedly benefited from the scam.
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Earlier, on September 20, 2023, the CBI obtained prosecution sanction against Lalu Prasad Yadav and former Railway Board officer R K Mahajan, who was a senior officer when the scam took place.
According to the CBI, Lalu Yadav allegedly appointed individuals to Group “D” posts in various Railway zones in exchange for land deals in the name of his family members. These land transfers were either gifted or sold at highly undervalued prices.
The scam involved appointments made without any advertisement or public notice, with recruits from Patna securing jobs in Railways’ zonal offices in Mumbai, Kolkata, Jabalpur, Jaipur, and Hazipur.
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On October 4, 2023, the court granted bail to Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, former CM Rabri Devi, and others related to an earlier charge sheet in the same case.
The CBI also conducted searches at multiple locations, including Delhi and Bihar, as part of its investigation into the scam.
With the court set to rule on February 25, all eyes are on the Rouse Avenue Court’s decision on whether to proceed with the trial against Lalu Prasad Yadav and the other accused.
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