The ED chargesheet has named former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, daughter Misa Bharti and ‘family associate’ Amit Katyal in the money laundering probe into the land-for-jobs scam when Lalu Yadav was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government at the Centre.
The ED and CBI chargesheets have so far named all key members of RJD supremo Lalu Yadav's (above, centre) family, including son and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav (left) and wife Rabri Devi (right) in the money laundering probe into the alleged land-for-jobs scam. (File photo)
UPDATED: Jan 9, 2024 15:28 IST
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed its first chargesheet (prosecution complaint) in the alleged land-for-jobs scam in the railways involving former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members.
The ED chargesheet has named former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti Yadav, Hema Yadav and Amit Katyal in the money laundering probe into the alleged land-for-jobs scam. The chargesheet was filed in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court.
In the case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the named accused include Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and 17 others, including his father Lalu Yadav and mother Rabri Devi.
The ED told the court that it has filed a 4,751-page chargesheet in the case and that accused Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, and Hema Yadav have not been arrested. The agency told the court that the investigation was continuing in the case, and it is likely to file a supplementary chargesheet later. The Rouse Avenue Court will hear on the issue of taking cognizance of the ED chargesheet on January 16.
The CBI has charged Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misa Bharti, and others with engaging in a criminal conspiracy to offer railway jobs to candidates who, in return, sold or gifted land to the Yadavs at prices below market rates.
In March 2023, the CBI had filed a chargesheet against 16 individuals, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members. In July 2023, the CBI arrested Bhola Yadav, Lalu's former Officer on Special Duty, in connection with the case. The ED had also conducted raids and arrested individuals linked to the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
A Delhi court summoned Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi, and others in February 2023, and the CBI questioned the two former Bihar Chief Ministers in March 2023 as part of the ongoing investigation.
In October 2023, the Rouse Avenue court granted bail to Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav in the case. The bail orders were passed by special CBI Judge Geetanjali Goel who cited a Supreme Court judgment that says that if an accused was either not arrested consciously by the prosecution, or arrested and enlarged on bail, there is no need for further arrest at the instance of the court.
Published By:
ramesh sharma
Published On:
Jan 9, 2024
English (US) ·