The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday filed a charge-sheet against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, his father and former railway minister Lalu Prasad, and mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with the land-for-jobs scam, officials said.
Though this is the second charge-sheet filed by the CBI in the case before a special court here, it is the first time that Tejashwi Yadav has been named as an accused.
Besides the three members of the Yadav family, the federal agency has named 14 individuals and entities in the charge-sheet.
The accused have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and others in addition to provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
This comes days after over a dozen opposition parties, including Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal, resolved to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at a crucial meeting in Patna on June 23.
The BJP on Monday demanded the "immediate" dismissal of Tejashwi Yadav as Bihar deputy chief minister and reminded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of his stand that he would not compromise on corruption.
The CBI's case pertains to Group-D appointments for 'substitutes' made in Western Central Zone based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh during Lalu Prasad's tenure as the railway minister from 2004 to 2009 in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of Lalu Prasad's family or associates, according to officials.
The agency 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.
A probe into similar recruitment in other railway zones is going on and will be part of future charge-sheets, the officials said.
The CBI had filed the first charge-sheet in the case in October last year against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and others pertaining to the appointments in the Central Zone of Railways based in Mumbai.
During the probe, the agency said on Monday, a hard disk was found at 10 Circular Road, Patna, which was used by Lalu Prasad as his camp office, containing a list of 1,458 candidates who were engaged in the Railways during his tenure.
"During investigation, it was found that then Union Minister of Railways (Lalu Prasad Yadav), with an intent to acquire the land parcels situated at the places where his family was already owning land parcels or the places which were already connected to him, entered into a conspiracy with associates and family members and allegedly devised a design to grab the land of various land owners by offering/providing Group D employment in Railways," a CBI spokesperson said.
He said the accused had allegedly collected applications and documents of such candidates through associates and then sent those to West Central Railway for processing and providing them jobs.
General managers of West Central Railway, under the influence and control of accused, accorded approval for the engagement of these candidates, he added.
The candidates were allegedly appointed as 'substitutes' in Group D positions within three days of applying in "undue haste" by railway officials and were later regularised when the "individuals themselves or their family members transferred their land", according to the CBI.
In its second charge-sheet, the agency alleged that in order to hide any links between the jobs provided and land purchase, some land parcels were bought in the name of A K Infosystems.
A land parcel was purchased in the name of A K Infosystems for Rs 10.83 lakh in 2007. Subsequently, this land along with some other land parcels purchased by the company were brought under the ownership of Tejashwi Yadav and his mother through transfer of shares at Rs 1 lakh only, the agency alleged.
"At the time of transfer, the company was allegedly owning land parcels purchased at a total cost of Rs 1.77 crore (approx) and it was transferred for a meagre Rs 1 lakh (approx) only. However, the market value of the lands were much more," the spokesperson said.
The payments for the land parcels were mostly shown to be made in cash, while there were also instances of transfer of land through gift deeds, the agency alleged.
The CBI also alleged that a 1.05 lakh square feet plot in Patna was acquired by Lalu Prasad's family members by making payments to the sellers in cash.
