Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court has given a big order in the alleged money laundering case related to Lara Projects. The court has directed to frame charges against nine accused including Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav in crimes related to money laundering. After this order of the court, the judicial process against the accused in the case will now reach the next stage.
Apart from Lara Projects, the scope of the court order includes Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, PC Gupta, Sarla Gupta, Sujata Hotels, Vijay Kochhar and Vinay Kochhar. The court has cleared the way for pursuing money laundering charges against these accused.
During the hearing of the case, the court also made important comments regarding the investigation against Lalu Prasad Yadav. The court did not accept the argument that the investigation against him was done for any political purpose. The court clarified that on the basis of available material and investigation of the case, it cannot be considered a politically motivated investigation. This comment is important at a time when questions have been raised by Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family about the fairness of the investigation.
Court's important comment regarding Patna land also
The land transaction in Patna has been a major part of the investigation in this case. Regarding the transfer of land, the court said that the concerned land is considered as income earned from crime i.e. 'Proceeds of Crime'. This aspect is very important in money laundering cases, because in the action of the Enforcement Directorate, the property acquired from the alleged crime and the transactions taking place thereafter are investigated.
This comment of the court is also considered important from the point of view of further hearing in the case. The investigation of the alleged land transaction and the economic benefits related to it will now be an important point in the further proceedings of the case.
Who will face the case?
According to the court order, money laundering charges will be proceeded against Lara Projects, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, PC Gupta, Sarla Gupta, Sujata Hotels, Vijay Kochhar and Vinay Kochhar. These accused will now have to appear before the court and face the further proceedings of the case.
The court has directed all the concerned accused to appear in Rouse Avenue Court on October 3. The further judicial process of the case will be heard on that date.
These accused got relief
While on one hand instructions have been given to frame charges against nine accused, the court has also discharged some other accused from the case. That means the court did not find sufficient grounds to prosecute these people further in this case.
The discharged accused include Gaurav Gupta, Nath Mal Kakrania, Rahul Yadav, Vijay Tripathi, Devki Nandan Tulshyan and Rajeev Kumar Relan. Apart from these, the court has also excluded Abhishek Finance Private Limited from the case.
What will happen next now?
After the latest order of the Rouse Avenue Court, the hearing of the case will now proceed beyond the stage of framing of charges. The further process will be decided after the presence of the accused in the court on October 3. During this period, judicial proceedings will proceed on aspects related to alleged land transactions, economic benefits related to it and allegations of money laundering.
At present, legal difficulties seem to be increasing for Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family due to the court order. However, the court's order framing charges does not in itself constitute a conviction. In the case, the accused will have full legal right to present their side before the court and defend the allegations. The final decision will be taken on the basis of further hearing of the case and available evidence.
This case related to Lara Projects is also important because the alleged property transactions, transfer of land and economic benefits related to it have been linked to the investigation of money laundering. Now all eyes will be on the next hearing to be held on October 3, where the further direction of the case will be clear.