The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a conclusive charge sheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav and 77 others on Friday in the land-for-job case, including 38 candidates. The CBI informed the court that the sanction of the competent authority is still awaited.
Special CBI Judge Vishal Gogne scheduled the matter for consideration on July 6. This follows a directive from the court on May 29, instructing the CBI to file its conclusive charge sheet. The court had previously expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in filing the charge sheet despite being given ample time.
Lalu Prasad Yadav, along with his family members including Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav, are named as accused in this case. On October 4, 2023, the court granted bail to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Rabri Devi, and others in connection with a fresh charge sheet related to the alleged scam.
The CBI's second charge sheet implicates 17 individuals, including the former Union Railway Minister, his wife, his son, the then GM of West Central Railways (WCR), two Chief Personnel Officers (CPOs) of WCR, private persons, and a private company. The CBI registered the case on May 18, 2022, against the former Railway Minister, his wife, two daughters, and other unidentified public servants and private individuals.
The allegations date back to 2004-2009 when the then Union Minister of Railways is accused of receiving land as pecuniary advantages in exchange for appointing substitutes to Group "D" posts in various railway zones. These appointments were reportedly made without any advertisements or public notices. The appointees, primarily residents of Patna, transferred their land to the Minister's family members and a private company controlled by them.
Investigations revealed that the Union Minister and his associates conspired to acquire land parcels in locations already connected to his family. This was done by offering group D employment in the Railways in exchange for land. The accused allegedly collected applications and documents from candidates, processed these through West Central Railway, and influenced approvals for their engagements.
The CBI's searches uncovered a hard disk containing lists of engaged candidates and revealed that a land parcel purchased for ₹10.83 lakh in 2007 was transferred to the Minister's family at a significantly undervalued price of Rs 1 lakh. This transaction involved land parcels worth approximately Rs 1.77 crore, transferred at a fraction of their market value.
The initial charge sheet, filed on October 7, 2022, named 16 accused. The latest developments mark a significant step in the ongoing investigation into the land-for-job scam.
