IRCTC scam: Lalu granted interim bail by Delhi court

A Delhi court on Thursday granted interim bail to RJD president Lalu Prasad till January 19 in two cases filed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam.

Special Judge Arun Bharadwaj granted relief to Prasad when he was produced before the court through video conference from a Ranchi jail, where he is lodged currently in another case. He was unable to appear here "due to health reasons."

The court directed both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED to file their replies to Prasad's application seeking regular bail in both the cases.

The cases relate to the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption in granting operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm between 2004 and 2014.

The court had earlier granted regular bail to Prasad's wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav in the CBI case, while they are on interim bail in the ED matter, which was extended till January 19, the next date of hearing.

In its charge sheet, the CBI had said there was enough evidence against Prasad, Rabri, Tejashwi and other accused including, Additional Member of Railway Board B K Agarwal, who was then the group general manager of the IRCTC.

Besides them, former Union minister Prem Chand Gupta, his wife Sarla Gupta, then managing director of IRCTC P K Goyal and then IRCTC director Rakesh Saxena are also named as accused in the charge sheet.

Among others named in the charge sheet are — then group general managers of IRCTC V K Asthana and R K Goyal and Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owners of Chanakya Hotel.

Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and Sujata Hotels Private Limited have also been named as accused firms in the charge sheet.

The CBI had registered a case in July last year and carried out searches at 12 locations in Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar and Gurgaon.