Lalu Yadav IRCTC Scam: In a setback for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members ahead of the 2025 Bihar elections, a Delhi court decided on Wednesday to frame charges against them in the IRCTC hotel scam case. Delivering its verdict, the Rouse Avenue Court paved the way for a trial against the accused under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, as they pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Lalu Yadav IRCTC Scam
Special Judge Vishal Gogne had reserved his order on May 29 after hearing detailed arguments on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption against Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi Yadav, Prem Gupta, Sarla Gupta, and railway officials Rakesh Saxena and P.K. Goel. The alleged scam took place between 2004 and 2009 when Lalu Prasad was the Union Railway Minister. During his tenure, two hotels were leased out without following the rules.
Lalu Yadav News: Scam during his tenure as Railway Minister?
The case is related to alleged irregularities in awarding the contract for the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a firm during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as railway minister. One of these hotels was allotted to Sarla Gupta, who is the wife of Prem Gupta, a close friend of Lalu Prasad. Prem Gupta was also a Rajya Sabha MP at that time. According to the prosecution, the RJD leader had acquired three acres of valuable land through a benami company.
Lalu Yadav IRCTC Scam: What did the court say?
Lalu Prasad, claiming no irregularities on his part, said that the tenders were allocated fairly and sought to be discharged. Recently, the Supreme Court refused to consider Lalu Prasad’s petition to stay the proceedings of the lower court in the land-for-jobs case. He had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the apex court against the dismissal of his application by the Delhi High Court to stay the proceedings of the trial.
What is the whole case? Lalu Yadav Family in Court
The case came after the lower court took cognisance of several charge sheets filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to the CBI, between 2004 and 2009, Lalu Prasad (then Railway Minister) received economic benefits in the form of the transfer of land and property in the name of his family members in exchange for the appointment of substitutes to Group ‘D’ posts in various railway zones. Several residents of Patna had sold or gifted their lands to the family members of Lalu Prasad and a private company controlled by them and their families, either themselves or through their family members.
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