A Delhi court on Monday formally framed multiple criminal charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and several others in the alleged IRCTC scam case.

Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court issued the order, citing sufficient grounds for proceeding.

Lalu Prasad Yadav has been charged with corruption, criminal conspiracy, and cheating. His wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav face charges including conspiracy and cheating. All the accused have pleaded not guilty, and the trial will now move forward.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleges that during his tenure as Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009, Lalu Yadav and his family accepted prime land as a bribe in exchange for awarding contracts to a private firm. According to the CBI, two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri were leased to Sujata Hotels through a manipulated tender process, and in return, land worth crores was transferred to a company allegedly linked to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav at a fraction of its market value.

‘I will continue to fight against the BJP,’ says Tejashwi Yadav

The Yadav family, however, has denied the allegations, questioning the CBI probe and calling the case politically motivated, asserting that there is no evidence against them. At Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, Tejashwi Yadav told ANI, “We will fight this case. We have said from the beginning that such actions would come because elections are approaching. We respect the court’s verdict and will face the case head-on”.

Adding to it he mentioned that “the people of Bihar are intelligent and understand what is happening – this is clearly a political vendetta. The people of Bihar and the country know the truth. I will continue to fight against the BJP as long as I live”.

All about the IRCTC scam 

The IRCTC scam goes back to 2004-2009, when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union Railway Minister. The CBI alleges that two IRCTC hotels – one in Ranchi and another in Puri – were leased out to Sujata Hotels through a manipulated tender process. In exchange, the Lalu family allegedly received prime pieces of land in Patna.

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Those accused include Lalu, members of his family, and former IRCTC officials such as V.K. Asthana (then Group General Manager) and R.K. Goyal (Managing Director). The Kochhar brothers, Vijay and Vinay, who ran Sujata Hotels, are also named in the case.

The CBI says tenders for managing the BNR hotels in Puri and Ranchi were fixed to benefit Sujata Hotels. The investigation began in July 2017, when the CBI filed an FIR and raided 12 properties linked to the Kochhar

Land-for-jobs scam

The Land-for-Jobs scam is believed to have taken place during the same period – between 2004 and 2009 – when Lalu was the Railway Minister. The CBI alleges that people were given jobs in the Indian Railways in exchange for transferring their land to Lalu’s family, often for very little money.

According to the chargesheet, many land transfers took place before the appointment letters were issued, often through gift deeds. The probe also found that one of Lalu’s aides, Bhalla Yadav, visited villages to persuade families to give up their land in return for railway jobs for their relatives.

In January 2024, both Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav were questioned by the ED for over 10 hours each. Sources said Lalu was asked more than 50 questions, responding briefly with “yes” or “no” in most cases and appearing visibly irritated during parts of the interrogation.

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ED to hear case related to businessman Amit Katyal 

At the same time, a special Enforcement Directorate (ED) court at Rouse Avenue will hear another case linked to the same investigation. This case involves businessman Amit Katyal, who allegedly handled financial transactions connected to the Yadav family. The accused have also been excused from appearing in person for this hearing, according to the local media reports.

During the previous hearing on August 25, the court had reserved its order after reviewing all evidence and arguments. The formal framing of charges will take place today.