A Delhi court has approved the framing of money laundering charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, former chief minister of Bihar, along with his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav. This decision stems from the ongoing investigation into the IRCTC hotel scam case, which has attracted significant public attention.
The order was passed by Special Judge Vishal Gogne. The court further observed that during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as railways minister, a tender was manipulated by railway officials to award the lease of hotels in Ranchi and Puri. The directors of the hotels subsequently transferred a plot of land in Patna to Sarla Gupta, a close associate of Lalu Prasad Yadav, who then transferred the shares to Rabri Devi for a nominal amount. The court framed money laundering charges against nine people, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav. Seven others were discharged.
Formal charges will be framed on October 3.
The court orally observed that there was “strong suspicion of abuse of office and proceeds of crime” in the hands of Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav, who continue to enjoy a “tainted land” in Patna that was transferred to them at the behest of Lalu Prasad Yadav between 2005 and 2014, when he was the Union railways minister.
