New Delhi: A Delhi court, on Friday, came down hard on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chairman and former railway minister Lalu Yadav and his family, saying that they acted as a criminal enterprise, whole framing corruption and criminal conspiracy charges against them in the alleged railways job for land scam case.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne, while passing the order on framing of charges, said the court found, “based on reasonable doubt”, a widespread conspiracy by Lalu Yadav and his family, as reported by India Today.
A plea for acquittal of Lalu and his family was untenable, the court held. Taking note of the chargesheet filed by the CBI, which is investigating the case, the court said Lalu’s aides were also identified as co-conspirators in the scam.
Lalu and his family functioned a
s a criminal enterprise and were part of an overarching conspiracy, using public employment as leverage to acquire properties, independent of their official positions, the court said.
Charges would be framed against 46 of the 98 surviving accused in the case, including Lalu and his family members, the court further said, ordering the acquittal of the remaining 52, as there was no substantial evidence against them as per the chargesheet.
Both the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court had rejected Lalu’s pleas to halt the trial in 2025.
The CBI has alleged that during Lalu’s tenure as railway minister between 2004 and 2009, Group D jobs were given to candidates in return for land parcels being transferred to his family at throwaway prices.
Several job aspirants or their relatives either sold or gifted land in Patna and other locations to members of the Yadav family and firms linked to them, it was alleged by the agency in its chargesheet.
According to the CBI, no proper recruitment process was followed and the jobs were offered in exchange for these land transfers.
Lalu and his family have denied the allegations, asserting the case is politically motivated.