Lalu Prasad, family obtained illegal gratification in form of land for jobs in railways: ED to court

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has told a court here that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family members obtained illegal gratification in the form of land parcels in exchange for appointments in the Indian Railways.

The ED made the submissions in its supplementary chargesheet filed in the case before Special Judge Vishal Gogne, who also summoned Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, who has not been named as an accused by the probe agency, in an order passed on September 18.

"The court finds compelling basis to conclude prima facie and upon the standard of scrutiny required at the stage of summoning that Tej Pratap Yadav also engaged in the acquisition and concealment of the proceeds of crime and is thus liable to be summoned upon the present supplementary complaint (the ED's equivalent to a chargesheet)," the judge said.

He also summoned Prasad's younger son and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.

The judge directed Prasad, a former Union minister and former Bihar chief minister, his two sons and others to appear before the court on October 7.

The judge had earlier summoned former Bihar chief minister and Prasad's wife, Rabri Devi, and their two daughters -- Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav -- in the case.

The land parcels, which were acquired in a way to consolidate holdings already in the Yadav family's possession, have been classified as "proceeds of crime" (PoC) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED has accused Prasad of hatching a criminal conspiracy along with his family members and associates to conceal the acquisition of the PoC.

He ensured that the land parcels were transferred in a manner that obscured his direct involvement while allowing his family to benefit, the ED has alleged.

The agency has alleged that the landowners, primarily in Patna's Mahua Bagh, were persuaded to sell their land at undervalued prices with the promise of jobs in the railways when Prasad was the railway minister.

"Several of these parcels were located adjacent to lands already held by the Yadav family. Six of the seven land parcels involved were linked to Rabri Devi and were obtained either directly or indirectly," the ED has alleged.

The investigation has revealed that A K Infosystems Private Limited and other entities used to further layer and obscure the connection between the land acquisitions and the "land-for-jobs" scheme, it has said.

According to the ED, in a continuation of the conspiracy, Amit Katyal, a co-accused, transferred the ownership of A K Infosystems, which held valuable land parcels, to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav at a nominal price.

Bhola Yadav, a close associate of Prasad, has been identified as the key facilitator in these transactions, the ED has said.

He has admitted to persuading landowners near the Yadav family's holdings to sell their properties in exchange for jobs in the railways, it has claimed.

These deals were structured to benefit Prasad's family, with properties transferred through intermediaries like the personal staff of Rabri Devi, namely Hridayanand Chaudhary and Lallan Chaudhary, both co-accused in the case, the ED has said.

The properties in question were often portrayed as gifts from distant relatives, but Misa Bharti denied knowing these individuals, it has added.

"Lalu Prasad and his family used their influence and official positions to derive personal benefits, masking the illicit transactions through a series of complex financial manoeuvres and entities. The scam, involving the illegal transfer of land in exchange for government jobs, is a significant breach of public trust and abuse of power," the ED has said.

The judge has summoned the accused persons after taking cognisance of a supplementary chargesheet against them.

The final report was filed before the court by the ED on August 6. The agency filed its case based on an FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The case pertains to Group-D appointments made in the West Central Zone of the railways based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh during 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 the RJD supremo's family or associates, the ED has said.