Lalu challenges CBI FIR in land-for-jobs case

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday urged the Delhi High Court to quash the CBI FIR in the land-for-jobs scam, contending that the investigation was launched without the mandatory sanction required under the law.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Yadav, argued before Justice Ravinder Dudeja that the FIR, registered in May 2022, was “illegal from inception” as it lacked the statutory approval necessary under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

“The CBI could not have initiated the investigation without the required sanction. That renders the entire probe and all proceedings invalid,” Sibal said, adding that Yadav was performing official duties as the Railway Minister at the time of the alleged offences.

“We are not disputing the charges. Our plea is limited to the illegality of the investigation itself. The RC must be set aside,” Sibal added.

The CBI, however, alleged that Yadav’s team was deliberately delaying completion of arguments in the trial court. “Their submissions will conclude tomorrow. They are intentionally withholding arguments before the trial court,” the agency’s counsel told the court.

Justice Dudeja noted that even if the lack of sanction were accepted, it would pertain only to alleged offences under the PC Act, not those under the IPC. The hearing is scheduled to continue on September 25.

The case involves Group D appointments in the West Central Zone of Indian Railways in Jabalpur during Yadav’s tenure from 2004 to 2009. The appointments were allegedly linked to land parcels transferred to Yadav’s family or associates. The FIR names Yadav, his wife and daughters, along with unidentified public officials and private people.

Yadav’s petition argued that the FIR, lodged nearly 14 years after the alleged offences and following closure of prior CBI enquiries, amounted to an “abuse of the legal process” and violated his fundamental right to a fair investigation.