The Delhi High Court is scheduled to review former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s petition challenging a trial court’s decision to frame charges of cheating, conspiracy, and corruption against him in the IRCTC scam on January 5. The trial court had directed the framing of charges under Sections 420 and 120B of the IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act on October 13, paving the way for the trial in the IRCTC hotel scam. The alleged scam occurred during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as Union Railway Minister between 2004 and 2009.
In the IRCTC scam, it is claimed that two IRCTC hotels were leased to a private company in violation of regulations, and valuable land in Patna was purportedly transferred to Lalu Prasad’s family members and a benami company. Recently, a Delhi court rejected requests from former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and other members of the Lalu Prasad Yadav family to transfer multiple corruption and money-laundering cases from the court of Special Judge Vishal Gogne. Consequently, all criminal cases against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, and other family members will remain under Special Judge Gogne’s jurisdiction.
Rabri Devi had sought the transfer of cases citing concerns about bias on the part of Judge Gogne. Allegations were made that the judge displayed a bias towards the prosecution and was handling the cases against the family with a predetermined mindset. The transfer requests were backed by other accused individuals, including members of the Yadav family, who argued that their cases were being expedited in an unusual manner. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing Rabri Devi, highlighted the frequency and pace at which the four cases involving the former Chief Minister and her family were being heard compared to other pending cases before Judge Gogne.
