Ahead of the hearing in the alleged land-for-job case; Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav said that hearings keep happening and he is not scared of it as he has not done anything wrong.
Earlier on September 22, a Delhi court issued summons to Bihar deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav, former Union railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex-chief minister Rabri Devi and 14 other accused in the alleged land-for-job scam, said officials familiar with the matter.
“Hearings keep happening. Have we done anything that we need to be scared about?” RJD chief said while speaking to reporters.
The Special Judge Geetanjali Goel while taking cognizance of a fresh charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 3, passed the order issuing summons to all the accused asking them to appear before it on October 4, officials said.
According to the CBI, this is the second chargesheet in the designated court against 17 accused including the then Union Minister of Railways, his wife, son, then GM of West Central Railways(WCR), then two CPOs of WCR, private persons, private company, etc in a case related to Land for Job Scam.
Recently, the CBI has filed a chargesheet in the alleged Land for Job scam case against Lalu Prasad Yadav including his son Tejashwi Yadav and others.
CBI registered a case on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Yadav and others including his wife, two daughters, unknown Public servants and private persons.
It was alleged that the then Union Minister of Railways during the period 2004-2009 had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members etc. in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group “D” Post in different Zones of Railways.
It was further alleged that in lieu thereof the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold and gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of the family members of said Minister and a private company controlled by his family members, which was also involved in the transfer of such immovable properties in the name of said family members.
It was also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointments of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur.
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 jobs in Railways and the General Managers of West Central Railways under the influence /control of the accused accorded approval for engagement of candidates, the CBI further said.
The CBI said that for providing jobs in Railways, they allegedly devised an indirect way wherein the candidates were engaged firstly as substitutes and subsequently, were regularized.
Earlier, a chargesheet was filed on October 7, 2022 against 16 accused. The investigation is continuing, CBI informed the Court.