The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a court in New Delhi that RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members received illegal gratification in the form of land parcels in exchange for appointments in the Indian Railways.
The ED made these allegations in a supplementary chargesheet filed in the case before Special Judge Vishal Gogne, who also summoned Prasad’s elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav. Though Yadav was not named as an accused by the agency, the order to summon him was issued on Sept. 18.
Along with Tej Pratap, the court has also summoned Prasad’s younger son and former Bihar deputy CM, Tejashwi Yadav, and directed the family members to appear in court on October 7.
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“The court finds compelling basis to conclude prima facie and upon the standard of scrutiny required at the stage of summoning that Tej Pratap Yadav also engaged in the acquisition and concealment of the proceeds of crime and is thus liable to be summoned upon the present supplementary complaint (the ED’s equivalent to a chargesheet),” the judge said.
Earlier, Rabri Devi, Prasad’s wife, along with their daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, had been summoned in the case. The ED alleges that Lalu Prasad and his family acquired undervalued land parcels in Patna’s Mahua Bagh area in exchange for railway jobs during his tenure as railway minister from 2004 to 2009. These properties were later classified as “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
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The probe further revealed that the landowners, in exchange for jobs in the railways, sold their land at undervalued rates. Six of the seven parcels involved were allegedly linked to Rabri Devi. A K Infosystems Private Limited, a company involved in the transactions, transferred its ownership to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav at nominal prices, the ED claims.
The ED also identified Bhola Yadav, a close associate of Prasad, as a key facilitator in these deals, structuring them to benefit the family while hiding their direct involvement.
The case originates from an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), focusing on Group-D appointments in the West Central Zone of the railways based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during Prasad’s tenure.