Land-for-job scam case: Delhi court grants bail to Lalu Prasad, son, wife

New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad, his son and wife in a case related to the alleged land-for-job scam.

On September 22, the court took cognisance of a fresh charge sheet by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Prasad and others, including his son and wife.

Since the probe agency did not oppose the bail, Additional Sessions Judge Judge Geetanjali Goel of Rouse Avenue Court granted bail to Yadavs.

Earlier, CBI had informed Goel that sanctions against three accused -- Maheep Kapur, Manoj Pande and P.L. Bankar -- in the case have been obtained. On September 12, the court was informed that sanction against Lalu has been obtained from the Home Ministry in a fresh charge sheet in the case.

Goel had issued summons to all the accused.

The CBI had, on August 8, stated that sanction has still not been received in respect of "accused Lalu Prasad, Maheep Kapur, Manoj Pande and P.L. Bankar".

In July, the court had granted CBI time to obtain sanction to prosecute Lalu Prasad and other accused persons. Goel had granted time to the probe agency as it had made a prayer to that effect.

The CBI 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 ED had said in July that it has attached assets worth more than Rs 6 crore belonging to Lalu Prasad's family -- his wife Rabri Devi and daughter Misa Bharti -- and linked companies as part of its money laundering investigation against them in the case.

The CBI had, on July 3, filed a charge sheet against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and their son and Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.

"During the period 2004-2009, Lalu Prasad (then Railway Minister) had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members in lieu of appointment of substitutes in Group ‘D’ posts in different Zones of Railways," a CBI official had earlier said.

A number of residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold and gifted their land in favour of the family members of Lalu Prasad and a private company controlled by him and his family.

"No advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointment of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees, who were residents of Patna, were appointed as substitutes in different Zonal Railways located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur.

"In continuation of this modus operandi, about 1,05,292 sq ft land and immovable properties located in Patna were acquired by Lalu Prasad and his family members through five sales deeds and two gift deeds, showing the payment made to the seller in cash in most of the land transfer," the CBI had said.

The CBI had filed the charge sheet in the case on October 10, 2022 against 16 persons, including Rabri Devi and her daughter, and sanction was then obtained to prosecute them.