Delhi Court Grants Bail To Lalu Prasad Yadav, Others In Land For Job Scam Case

A Delhi Court on Wednesday granted bail to former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi and daughter Misa Bharti in the alleged “land for job scam” case.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel of Rouse Avenue Court granted bail subject to the accused persons furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety of like amount each.

Bail was granted after Yadav, his wife and their daughter appeared before the court pursuant to the summons issued to them last month.

While summoning them, the court had prima facie observed that the material on record shows commission of offences under sections 120B, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of IPC and sections 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 (2), 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

CBI had filed a chargesheet in the case on October 10, 2022 against 16 persons. Sanction was then obtained to prosecute Yadav and others.

It is the case of the probe agency that various residents of Bihar were appointed as substitutes in “Group-D posts” during 2004 to 2009 in different zones of Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur.

It has been alleged that in lieu of the same, the individuals themselves or their families transferred their land in the name of then then union minister of Railways Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family members and a company namely M/s AK Infosystems Private Limited, which was subsequently taken over by his family members. 

CBI has also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for appointment of substitutes in Zonal Railways and that undue haste was shown in processing their applications.

“It is stated that investigation had revealed that the candidates were considered for their engagement without any need for Substitutes and there was no urgency for their appointment which was one of the main criteria behind the engagement of Substitutes and they joined their duties much later from the approval of their appointment and they were subsequently regularised,” the court had recorded in the order.