The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a plea by former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi challenging a trial court order. Rabri Devi contested the denial of access to documents not used by the prosecution in the alleged Railways land-for-jobs corruption case. Justice Manoj Jain, after a brief hearing, asked for the CBI’s response and scheduled further proceedings for April 1.
Rabri Devi’s plea challenges the trial court’s decision to withhold unrelied documents and requests appropriate relief from the Delhi High Court. This development occurred after a Delhi court dismissed similar applications by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and other accused individuals seeking access to unreleased documents in the CBI case. The trial court had rejected these requests, stating that demanding unrelied documents upfront was not permissible under the criminal trial system.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts dismissed the pleas of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and other accused under Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The court emphasized that the accused could request unrelied documents at a later stage of the trial when presenting defense evidence. It highlighted that while the accused were entitled to a list of such documents, they could not demand all unrelied documents at the beginning of the prosecution’s evidence without proving their necessity and relevance.
