CBI files final chargesheet against Lalu Yadav, 77 others

New Delhi: The CBI on Friday filed its final charge sheet against former railway minister Lalu Prasad in connection with the land for jobs scam in which his family allegedly received land parcels from ineligible candidates appointed in various Railways zones as ‘substitutes’, the officials said.

Upon conclusion of the investigation, the CBI submitted its third and final charge sheet before special judge (MP/MLA Cases) here against 78 accused, including Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tej Pratap Yadav who has been charge sheeted for the first time, daughter Hema Yadav, former OSD Bhola Yadav and one former staff member of the RJD chief, they said.

Tej Pratap Yadav has been charge sheeted for the first time. The CBI has invoked IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy along with cheating and forgery among others, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused.

The list of accused included 29 Railways officials, 37 candidates and six other private persons, they said.

During the investigation, the CBI found that Lalu Prasad, in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy along with officers of Railways, his family members and others, engaged candidates as Group D substitutes in 11 zones of Indian Railways in complete violation of the extant guidelines, the CBI spokesperson said.

He said this was done in return for the transfer of land by the candidate himself or his family members.

The candidates also submitted fake educational certificates to become eligible for these positions, they said.

“Candidates who were engaged as substitutes in different zones of Railways were mainly from the districts which were the constituencies of then Union railway minister and his family members since long,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

On July 3 last year, the CBI had charge sheeted the then deputy chief minister of Bihar and Lalu Prasad’s son Tejashwi Yadav in the case. The agency had registered the case on May 18, 2022 against Lalu Prasad and 15 others including his wife, two daughters and unidentified public servants and private persons.

The CBI had filed the first charge sheet in the case in October, 2022.

During the probe, the agency had found a hard disk at 10 Circular Road, Patna, which was used by Lalu Prasad as his camp office. The hard disk contained a list of 1,458 candidates who were engaged in the Railways during his tenure, the agency had claimed.