Delhi court summons Lalu, son Tejashwi in in land-for-jobs case

A Delhi court has summoned former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, in connection with the land-for-jobs case. This case involves allegations of irregularities during Lalu Prasad Yadav's tenure as Union Railway Minister, where jobs were allegedly exchanged for land parcels.

In June, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a comprehensive charge sheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his associates, and 77 others, including 38 candidates. The case claims that during Lalu Prasad Yadav's tenure from 2004 to 2009, individuals were appointed as substitutes in Group “D” railway posts across various zones in exchange for financial benefits.

These benefits are alleged to have taken the form of land transfers to Yadav's family members. The charges suggest that appointed individuals or their families, residents of Patna, sold or gifted their land to Yadav's relatives or a private company controlled by his family, facilitating the transfer of these properties.

Furthermore, it is alleged that no advertisements or public notices were issued for these appointments, yet the appointees, all from Patna, secured positions in railways located in cities such as Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hazipur.

In December 2023, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also summoned Tejashwi Yadav about the case. Yadav dismissed the summons as routine, stating, “I have been going always; it's a routine. I went earlier as well. From 2017 to 2023, I have been going regularly whenever ED, Income Tax, or CBI called me. What would these agencies do? They are also pressurized.”

The CBI initially registered the case on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members, and other public and private individuals.