Lalu's family in trouble: ED chargesheet against Rabri Devi, daughters in land-for-jobs scam

In a sharp rebuke directed at the Centre over the summonses last December, Lalu Yadav emphasized the mounting pressure on investigative agencies and predicted a renewed focus on Bihar, Jharkhand, and Delhi following assembly elections in other states.

In the ongoing legal battle, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday (January 9) made a notable move by filing a chargesheet against former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rabri Devi, along with her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav. This chargesheet, comprising 4,751 pages, has been formally lodged before a specialized Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi, marking the commencement of proceedings set for January 16 concerning this case.

The chargesheet implicates several entities, including an alleged close aide of RJD chief Lalu Yadav's family, Amit Katyal, and various individuals and companies. Katyal, arrested last November concerning this case, encountered a setback as the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea to quash the ED proceedings against him.

Despite repeated summonses issued by the federal agency, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Yadav have refrained from deposing before the authorities.

In a sharp rebuke directed at the Centre over the summonses last December, Lalu Yadav emphasized the mounting pressure on investigative agencies and predicted a renewed focus on Bihar, Jharkhand, and Delhi following assembly elections in other states.

The alleged 'land-for-job' irregularities occurred during 2004-2009, a period when Lalu Yadav served as the Railway Minister in the Congress-led coalition. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) contends that irregular appointments were made in the railways, breaching established recruitment norms. It further alleged that individuals securing railway positions as "substitutes," directly or through relatives, sold land to Lalu's family at substantially reduced prices.

While vehemently refuting the allegations, the Yadav family has accused the BJP-led central government of exploiting central agencies for political purposes.