The CBI on Friday filed its final chargesheet against 78 persons, including former railway minister Lalu Prasad, in connection with the land for jobs scam in which his family is accused of receiving land parcels from ineligible candidates appointed in various railway zones as substitutes, officials said. “Upon conclusion of the investigation, the CBI submitted its third and final chargesheet before special judge (MP/MLA Cases) here against 78 accused, including the then Union Railway Minister, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tej Pratap Yadav, daughter Hema Yadav, former OSD Bhola Yadav, one former staff member of the RJD chief, 29 public servants of Indian Railways, 37 candidates and six other private persons in a case related to land-for-job scam pertaining to engagement of candidates as substitutes in 11 zones of Indian Railways during the tenure of Lalu Prasad as Union Railway Minister during 2004-2009,” an CBI spokesperson said in a statement. Tej Pratap Yadav has been chargesheeted for the first time. “As disclosed during the investigation, Lalu Prasad, in furtherance of criminal conspiracy, along with officers of Railways, his family members and others, engaged candidates as Group D substitutes in 11 zones of Indian Railways in complete violation of the extant guidelines in lieu of transfer of land by the candidate himself/by family members and/or by submitting fake educational certificates,” the spokesperson said. The CBI has invoked IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery among others, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused. “Candidates who were engaged as substitutes in different zones of railways were mainly from the districts which were constituencies of Lalu Prasad and his family members since long,” the spokesperson said. On July 3 last year, the CBI had chargesheeted the then deputy chief minister of Bihar and Lalu Prasad’s son Tejashwi Yadav in the case. The agency had registered the case on May 18, 2022 against Lalu Prasad and 15 others, including his wife, two daughters and unidentified public servants and private persons. The CBI had filed its first chargesheet in the case in October 2022.
