A Delhi court Friday framed charges against RJD chief and former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and children Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav and Misa Bharti, and others in the alleged land-for-jobs corruption case being investigated by the CBI.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court, who passed a 346-page order on the framing of charges, said, “The plea of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members to be discharged from the present proceedings is completely unwarranted when the Ministry of Railways and the lands of his constituents were apparently being lorded over by him as a personal fiefdom.”
“There are strong indications from the chargesheets that Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav and the accused members of his family were operating as a criminal enterprise designed to usurp private lands by bartering away government posts,” he said.
The CBI’s case pertains to the alleged transfer of land at cheap rates to Lalu Prasad and his family in exchange for Group-D jobs in the Railways between 2004 and 2009 when he was the Minister for Railways.
As many as 103 people had been named as accused in the case by the CBI. Of these, five passed away. Of the remaining 98, 52 were discharged by the court. These included all Group-D railway substitutes who hadn’t parted with their land. Charges were framed against the remaining accused.
“The court finds, on the touchstone of grave suspicion, that there existed an overarching criminal conspiracy, mentored by Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav, towards using public employment as a bargaining chip for receiving immovable properties through his wife Rabri Devi, daughters Misha Bharti and Hema Yadav as well as sons Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav from willing job seekers,” Judge Gogne said.
“The chargesheets strongly indicate that the close associates of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav namely Bhola Yadav, R K Mahajan and P C Gupta probably facilitated, as co-conspirators, the acquisition of these lands in lieu of jobs provided to the nominees of Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav, with the Railways in Group D posts across various Railway zones in India. Several accused substitutes apparently used false documents to secure these appointments,” he said.
In its chargesheet filed in the case, the CBI had claimed there were several discrepancies in documents furnished by those who were given jobs in exchange for land in this alleged scam.
The agency alleged that some candidates had sequential roll numbers on their caste and residence certificates, implying that the accused had obtained these certificates “altogether and for a common purpose”.
According to the CBI, which was represented in court by Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) DP Singh and advocates Manu Mishra, Imaan Khera and Garima Saxena, Lalu Prasad had allegedly influenced railway officers to appoint owners and family members of the land parcels “wherein he had interest”.
In October 2025, the same court framed charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating against Lalu Prasad in connection with the alleged IRCTC scam, being investigated by the CBI. Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav were also charged with conspiracy and cheating.
The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs case. It involves allegations that a company was incorporated in Delhi to buy land parcels situated in Bihar from prospective job seekers.
The ED alleged that Rabri Devi was a beneficiary of the proceeds of crime and, via a shell company, she helped transfer funds to her son Tejashwi Yadav. This money, the ED said, was used in the construction of a property in Delhi’s New Friends Colony.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court Friday issued notice on a plea by a co-accused in the alleged land-for-jobs case. Former RJD MLA Bhola Yadav accused the CBI of recording approver statements in the case in violation of the prescribed procedure.
Justice Manoj Jain, while issuing notice and posting the matter for hearing on January 27, also directed that the order framing charges in the case be placed before it.
As many as 103 people had been named as accused in the case by the CBI. Of these, five have passed away. (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey) 
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