Supreme Court declines to intervene in Lalu Prasad Yadav’s plea on land-for-jobs scam. ASG SV Raju urges costs, says, “Big pockets file multiple applications.”
New Delhi: On July 30, the Supreme Court on Tuesday heard a plea by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in a case related to the “land-for-jobs” scam. This plea was filed in a previously disposed petition, in which Lalu Yadav had earlier sought a stay on the criminal trial.
That request had already been rejected.
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The bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice NK Singh took up the matter, where Lalu Yadav’s legal counsel requested the case be adjourned, saying that senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is representing Yadav, was engaged in another matter.
The lawyer said Sibal was currently busy in the case related to Justice Yashwant Varma.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, appearing for the CBI, opposed the plea and said,
“He can raise the 17A issue before the trial court during discharge.”
He was referring to Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which protects public servants from prosecution without prior approval from the competent authority.
The bench, however, made it clear that no orders would be passed at this stage. The Court said that even if the charges are framed in the lower court, it would not render the pending petition in the Delhi High Court ineffective.
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In the words of the Court:
“We won’t pass any order, but framing of charges won’t make the HC petition infructuous.”
ASG SV Raju, while pressing further, requested the imposition of a monetary penalty and said:
“Impose cost. Big pockets file multiple applications.”
However, the Supreme Court refused to impose any penalty and said:
“No cost imposed.”
Background of the Case
Lalu Prasad Yadav is facing serious legal trouble in the land-for-jobs scam. This scam dates back to his tenure as the Union Railway Minister. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that during that time, Lalu Yadav and his family members accepted parcels of land from individuals in return for jobs in the Indian Railways.
According to the CBI, several people were appointed to Group D positions in the railways in exchange for their land being transferred to Lalu’s family at undervalued rates or in the names of close associates.
The controversy has not only become a major legal battle but has also drawn significant attention in Bihar’s political circles.
Recently, Lalu Prasad approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court refused to give an early date for hearing his petition, in which he sought quashing of the CBI FIR. The Delhi High Court had previously rejected his request for an urgent hearing.
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Lalu’s argument was that the trial court was scheduled to conduct proceedings for framing of charges between 26th July and 2nd August. Therefore, he asked that his petition be heard before 12th August, the next scheduled date in the Delhi High Court.
However, after the High Court rejected his plea, he moved the Supreme Court. But the top court too denied immediate relief.
The matter will now be next heard by the Delhi High Court on 12th August 2025.
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