Delhi Court Frames Charges Against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav in IRCTC Scam Case
A Delhi court on Monday framed criminal charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav, and several others in connection with the alleged IRCTC scam case. Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order, framing charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy, and cheating against the accused. All three members of the Yadav family pleaded not guilty and sought a trial after the charges were read out.
The case, investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), pertains to alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri during Lalu Yadav’s tenure as Railway Minister between 2004 and 2009. The CBI has alleged that the contracts were granted to Sujata Hotels through a manipulated tender process, in exchange for prime land transferred to a company linked to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav at a fraction of its market value.
Besides the Yadav family, the CBI has named Sarla Gupta, wife of former Union Minister Prem Chand Gupta, and Sujata Hotels directors Vijay Kochhar and Vinay Kochhar as co-accused. The accused have denied all allegations, asserting that the case is politically motivated and unsupported by concrete evidence. The matter will now proceed to trial.
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