On September 18, 2024, the court had issued summons to Lalu Prasad Yadav, his sons Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, and other accused in the Land for Job Money Laundering case. Tej Pratap Yadav was summoned based on sufficient material presented by the court, even though he was not initially charge-sheeted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
New Delhi [India], January 17: The Rouse Avenue Court has issued a production warrant to bring accused Amit Katyal in connection with the Land for Job money laundering case. The court has scheduled the next hearing for January 31, 2025. Katyal is currently in judicial custody and lodged in Bhondsi Jail, Haryana, in another case filed by the Gurugram Police.
The case involves allegations related to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. Katyal has been charge-sheeted for his role in the case.
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During the hearing, Special Judge Vishal Gogne questioned the investigation officer about the “status of the prosecution sanction against public servants.” In response, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Manish Jain, on instructions from the investigating officer (IO), stated that “it is in the process.”
On September 18, 2024, the court had issued summons to Lalu Prasad Yadav, his sons Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, and other accused in the Land for Job Money Laundering case. Tej Pratap Yadav was summoned based on sufficient material presented by the court, even though he was not initially charge-sheeted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The court also summoned Akhileshwar Singh and his wife Kiran Devi. Both are currently on bail granted by the court. Earlier, the ED had filed a supplementary charge sheet on August 6, 2024, against 11 accused in the case. However, four of these accused have passed away.
The ED recently submitted documents following court directions, as several accused had sought access to specific case-related documents. The court emphasized the importance of expediting the scrutiny of documents.
“Counsel for the accused persons must expedite the scrutiny of documents so that arguments on framing charges can begin by the start of February,” the court stated.
The supplementary charge sheet included names such as Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejaswi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhileshwar Singh, Hazari Prasad Rai, Sanjay Rai, Dharmendra Singh, Kiran Devi, and others. Four accused—Lallan Chaudhary, Lal Babu Rai, Kishun Dev Rai, and Sonmatia Devi—have died, and proceedings against them have been abated by the court.
The court highlighted that while Akhileshwar Singh was named as an accused by the ED, his wife, Kiran Devi, was not initially included. The investigation revealed that Kiran Devi sold land to Misa Bharti in exchange for a job for her son, Abhishek.
- On February 28, 2024, the court granted regular bail to Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, and Hridyanand Chaudhary.
- On January 27, 2024, a summons was issued to Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, Hridyanand Chaudhary, and others.
Two firms, A K Infosystem and A B Export, have also been implicated in the case. The ED arrested Amit Katyal during the investigation. Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, and others, including Amit Katyal and Hridyanand Chaudhary, have already been charge-sheeted.
Background of the Case
The ED’s supplementary charge sheet filed on August 6, 2024, named key individuals such as Lallan Chaudhary, Hazari Rai, Dharmender Kumar, Akhileshwar Singh, Ravinder Kumar, Late Lal Babu Rai, Sonmatia Devi, Late Kishun Dev Rai, and Sanjay Rai. Four of these accused have passed away, leading to abatement of proceedings against them.
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