Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday ordered the framing of charges against former Bihar CMs Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and their son Tejashwi Yadav in a money laundering case linked to the alleged IRCTC scam.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne observed that there exists a strong suspicion of abuse of office and proceeds of crime in the hands of Rabri and Tejashwi. The court has ordered the framing of money laundering charges against a total of nine persons, including Lalu, Rabri and Tejashwi Yadav.
They include Lara Projects, Sarla Gupta, Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata Hotels, Vinay Kochhar and Vijay Kochar. Seven others - Rahul Yadav, Gaurav Gupta, Nath Mal Kankarnia, Vijay Tripathi, DN Tulshyan, Rajiv Relan and Abhishek Finance - were discharged by the court.
The court was initially scheduled to issue the order against Lalu and his family on August 29, but it was deferred to September 7 and again to Thursday. The court observed the RJD patriarch had used the railway ministry as his personal fief. He used it to acquire land parcels in connivance with railway officials and his associates.
While pronouncing the verdict, the court said Tejashwi continued to enjoy a tainted land in Patna. "There exists a strong suspicion of abuse of office and proceeds of crime in the hands of Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav who continue to enjoy a tainted land in Patna, which was transferred to them at the behest of Lalu Prasad Yadav, during the years 2005 and 2009 when he was Union Railways Minister," the court noted.
The court further added that it was indicated that under Lalu's tenure as Railways Minister, a tender was manipulated by railway officials for the award of a lease of hotels at Ranchi and Puri.
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The directors of these hotels transferred land in Patna to Sarla Gupta, a close associate of Lalu. Sarla then transferred the shares to Rabri Devi at a pittance.