RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and their son Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday requested a Delhi court to discharge them in the IRCTC scam case, arguing that the CBI’s allegations were “false” and based on “pick and choose.” The corruption case, linked to irregularities in Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) contracts between 2004 and 2014, has been under investigation for years.
The trio, represented by senior advocate Maninder Singh, claimed that the central agency lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute them under charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption—offences carrying a maximum jail term of seven years.
The special judge, Vishal Gogne, partially heard their arguments and scheduled the next hearing for April 21. “Part arguments heard on behalf of A-1 to A-4 (Lalu, Rabri, Tejashwi, and Lara Projects LLP). Put up for further submissions,” the judge said.
The CBI has alleged that during Prasad’s tenure as railway minister in the UPA-1 government, operational contracts of IRCTC hotels in Puri and Ranchi were manipulated and awarded to Sujata Hotels, a Patna-based private firm. The chargesheet claims that conditions were tweaked to favor the company, leading to financial irregularities.
The case also names former IRCTC officials V K Asthana and R K Goyal, along with Sujata Hotels directors Vijay and Vinay Kochhar. The court will continue hearing the matter on April 21.