Land-for-job scam: SC refuses to stall charges against Lalu Prasad
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to direct a Delhi trial court to postpone the framing of charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam.
Lalu Prasad had approached the apex court seeking a direction to defer the trial proceedings until August 12, the date scheduled for the Delhi High Court to hear his petition challenging the First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
However, a Bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh refused to intervene, observing that the proceedings before the trial court, including the framing of charges, would remain subject to the outcome of the petition pending before the High Court. The Bench also clarified that the High Court petition would not become "infructuous" even if the trial moves forward.
This decision follows a similar order issued on July 18, when the same Bench declined to stay the trial proceedings, stating that the matter was not substantial enough to be retained by the Supreme Court and should instead be decided by the Delhi High Court.
Lalu Prasad had earlier filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea seeking a stay on the trial proceedings. His challenge was based on the charge sheets filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In his submission before the High Court, the former Railway Minister argued that the investigation into offences allegedly committed by a public servant, specifically those connected to recommendations or decisions made in the course of official duties, cannot proceed without prior sanction from the competent authority. He claimed that the FIR registered against him lacked such approval, thereby rendering the investigation, charge sheets, and cognisance by the trial court void ab initio.
Despite these arguments, the High Court dismissed his plea for a stay but granted him the liberty to present all his contentions during the framing of charges at the trial court.
The CBI had registered the case on May 18, 2022, alleging that between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad Yadav served as Railway Minister, he accepted pecuniary benefits in the form of land transfers to his family members. In exchange, individuals either directly or through relatives were appointed as substitutes in Group ‘D’ posts across various Zonal Railways.
The investigating agency further claimed that no public notice or advertisement was issued for these appointments. Yet, several residents of Patna were appointed to positions in Railway zones located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur. The lands were either gifted or sold to Lalu’s family members or to a private company allegedly controlled by him and his family.
With IANS inputs
