‘Enough material’: Delhi court frames charges against Lalu Prasad, Rabri, Tejashwi in IRCTC ‘scam’

Less than a month before the Bihar Assembly elections, a Delhi court on Monday framed charges against RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav on allegations of corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating in the IRCTC “scam”.

The case proceedings are to continue on a daily basis from October 27 to November 7 while the two-phase Bihar elections will be held on November 6 and 11.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts framed charges against the RJD first family and other accused, holding that there was “enough material” to proceed against them in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) case.

In legal cross-hairs

• Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav: Booked under Sections 420 and 120B of the IPC for alleged cheating and criminal conspiracy
• Lalu Prasad: Charged with criminal misconduct and conspiracy

FIR lodged in 2017

• July 7, 2017: CBI registers an FIR against Lalu Prasad Yadav
• April 2018: CBI files chargesheet in the case
• March 1, 2025: CBI concludes arguments against Lalu, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and others
• September 24: Court orders all accused to appear in person
• October 13: Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court formally frames charges

The court said the evidence pointed to a deep-rooted conspiracy involving the manipulation of tenders, undervaluation of prime land and misuse of public office for private gain. “The entire process amounts to crony capitalism in the garb of promoting private participation. The conspiracy is not entirely hidden; the entire transaction is prima facie fraudulent and the accused cannot be discharged at this stage,” Judge Gogne observed in his order.

The case, probed by the CBI, stems from allegations that Lalu, during his tenure as Railway Minister between 2004 and 2009, rigged the tendering process for leasing two IRCTC hotels, one in Ranchi and another in Puri, to a private company, Sujata Hotels. In return, the agency alleged, land worth crores was transferred at throwaway prices to a firm linked to Rabri and Tejashwi.

The CBI alleged that the deal was structured to benefit the Yadav family through proxies. The tender conditions were allegedly altered to favour the chosen bidder while prime railway properties were leased out under the guise of competitive bidding.

“There were material modifications in the tender process… It has emerged as a distinct possibility that at the point of sale, the land parcels were undervalued and then came to be vested in the hands of Lalu Yadav,” the court noted.

The court observed that Lalu was in the “complete know of the processes and intervened to influence the transfer of the hotels,” and that his actions caused a “great loss to the public exchequer”. “Various persons engaged in a conspiracy which may have involved multiple smaller conspiracies,” Judge Gogne remarked, describing the alleged collusion between public servants and private entities as “a textbook case of abuse of office”.

The Yadav family, however, has maintained that the case was “politically motivated” and devoid of evidence. They have accused the CBI of targeting them ahead of elections to weaken the opposition bloc.

Despite their defence, the court’s findings have paved the way for a full-scale criminal trial against the RJD’s first family. In response, Tejashwi said the party respected the judgment and would continue to contest the case legally. He reiterated that such developments were expected ahead of the elections, and that the people of Bihar were “aware and understood the circumstances”.

Emphasising Lalu’s record as Railway Minister, Tejashwi said the leader had brought Rs 90,000 crore in profit to the Railways and consistently lowered passenger fares in every budget. “Students from Harvard and IIM once came to learn from Lalu ji, who was hailed as a ‘Management Guru’. The people of Bihar and the entire country know the truth,” he said.