New Delhi. JP Singh.
Rouse Avenue Court has granted bail to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his sons and party leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav in the Land for Job case. They have been granted bail on a surety bond of Rs 1 lakh each. Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Monday granted bail in a money laundering case related to 'land for job'. The next hearing date is October 25.
Special Judge Vishal Gogane granted bail to the accused on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each, saying they were not arrested during the investigation. The accused appeared before the court in compliance with the summons issued earlier by it. The judge had issued the summons after taking cognizance of the supplementary charge sheet filed against the accused.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed the final report before the court on August 6. The ED filed its case on the basis of an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to the investigating agency, the case pertains to Group-D recruitments in the West-Central Zone of the Railways in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during Lalu's tenure as Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009. It is alleged that the people recruited in the Railways had given land as gift to Lalu's family members and associates in exchange for jobs.
During the hearing, ED told the court that directions can be given like the previous order to grant bail to Rabri Devi, Hema Yadav and Misa Yadav. After this, the court directed all the accused to submit their passports in the court. After framing of charges, the legal process of scrutiny of the charge sheet and documents related to it will be followed before cross-examination.
ED had not made Tej Pratap Yadav an accused in the charge sheet, but the court while issuing summons to Tej Pratap Yadav had said that Tej Pratap Yadav is also a member of Lalu Yadav family and his role in money laundering cannot be denied. The court had said that a large number of pieces of land and properties have been transferred. Yadav family has misused their position. The court had said that the plots have been transferred in the name of Yadav family.
Misa Bharti is also there along with Lalu, Tejashwi, Tej Pratap. But summons has already been issued to Misa Bharti in the ED case and she has got bail. According to today's summons, there was no need for Misa Bharti to appear.
Regarding the matter, Tejashwi Yadav said, 'The case has been filed as per political vendetta. Agencies are being misused. We have full faith in the court. These people (BJP) keep on doing political conspiracies again and again, misuse the agencies. There is no merit in this case. Our victory is certain.
The court had summoned the accused on the basis of ED's supplementary charge sheet for hearing in the Land for Job scam case. Tej Pratap Yadav appeared in the court for the first time in this case. Lalu Yadav along with his daughters Misa Bharti and Rohini Acharya had reached Delhi from Patna on Sunday night itself for the appearance. At the same time, Tejashwi Yadav had also returned to Delhi from his foreign tour for appearance.
It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, many people were appointed to Group D posts in different zones of Indian Railways and in return, these people transferred their lands to the family members of the then Railway Minister Lalu Yadav and their related company AK Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. was transferred.
The alleged 'Land for Job' scam dates back to the time when Lalu Yadav was the Railway Minister. According to the allegation, Lalu Yadav, during his tenure as Railway Minister, had taken land from people in exchange for giving them jobs in the Railways.
Delhi court had also issued summons against Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and her daughter Misa Bharti on 28 February 2023. In this case, CBI had filed a charge sheet on October 10, 2022, in which 16 people were made accused. In July 2022 itself, CBI had arrested Bhola Yadav, who was Lalu Yadav's OSD when he was Railway Minister. CBI says that Lalu Yadav's family has allegedly occupied 1.05 lakh square feet of land in Patna. The deal for these lands was done in cash. That is, Lalu family had purchased these lands by paying cash.
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