A Delhi court on Friday framed corruption and criminal conspiracy charges against former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, their sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav, and daughter Misa Bharti in the alleged land-for-jobs scam. The court noted that Yadav had used the Railway Ministry as his “personal fiefdom” to carry out a criminal enterprise during his tenure as Union Railway Minister.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court, while reading the order, stated, “A-1 (Lalu Prasad Yadav) used the Railway Ministry and the lands office as a personal fiefdom… Yadav and his close aides were operating as a criminal enterprise to usurp land.”
The court said the chargesheet indicated a broader conspiracy in which public employment was leveraged as a bargaining tool to acquire land in the names of Yadav’s family members and associates.
Meanwhile, 52 accused, including Central Personnel Officers (CPOs) and others not involved in illegal land transfers, were discharged. Charges were framed against 41 individuals, while five accused had died during the proceedings.
The case, filed by the CBI on May 18, 2022, alleges that between 2004 and 2009, Yadav distributed Group D railway jobs across various zones in exchange for land parcels transferred in the names of family members and associates.
In its 2023 chargesheet, the agency named 78 individuals, including 30 government officials linked to the Railway Ministry. Following this, the Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case in 2024, accusing Yadav and his family of acquiring illicit wealth through the alleged corrupt practices.
