The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday told a court here that it had got the requisite sanction from the Centre to prosecute Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in a case related to the alleged land-for-job scam of 2004-2009.
The investigation agency made the above submissions before Special Judge Geetanjali Goel in the Rouse Avenue court.
The CBI also submitted that the sanction to prosecute three other accused, namely Maheep Kapur (the then West Central Railway [WCR] general manager), Manoj Pande (then WCR chief personnel officers) and Dr P. L. Bankar is still awaited. The court granted the CBI time after the central probe agency informed that the sanction may be received.
The next hearing will take place on September 21.
In July this year, the CBI filed the second chargesheet against Mr. Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, and 14 others in the same case.
The FIR in the matter was filed in May 2022 in which it was alleged that during 2004-2009, several substitutes were appointed in Group “D” posts in different zones of Railways in exchange for land parcels.
These substitutes, who were residents of Patna, either by themselves or through their family members, sold or gifted their land to Mr. Prasad’s family members and the private company controlled by them. The company was also involved in the transfer of such immovable properties in the name of his family members, as alleged by the agency.
According to the CBI, no advertisements or any public notice had been issued for the appointment of substitutes, yet the candidates in question were inducted in different zonal railways located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur. Their applications and documents were collected through some persons and sent to the WCR for processing. Under the influence of the accused, the then general managers gave approvals. The substitutes were later regularised.
In October 2022, the CBI filed first chargesheet in this case.
Based on the CBI case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting a money-laundering probe. The ED had earlier said that it had detected “proceeds of crime” currently worth ₹600 crore.
