Land-for-job scam: Delhi court allows Tejashwi Yadav to make official trip to Japan

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) A Delhi court, hearing the land-for-job scam case, on Monday granted permission to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, a case accused. to travel abroad on an official visit.

Tejwashwi Yadav, who is Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's son, had sought permission to travel to Japan from October 24 to November 1.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel of Rouse Avenue Court granted approval for Tejashwi Yadav to travel abroad and while she released his passport, she asked him to provide a Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) bond of Rs 25 lakh and a travel itinerary.

Goel also granted one-day exemption from appearance to Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav for Monday and posted the matter for next hearing on November 2.

On October 4, the court had granted bail to all three in the case.

On September 22, the court took cognisance of a fresh charge sheet by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Lalu Prasad and others.

Since the probe agency did not oppose the bail, Goel granted bail to Yadavs.

Earlier, CBI had informed Goel that sanctions against three accused -- Maheep Kapur, Manoj Pande and P.L. Bankar -- in the case have been obtained. On September 12, the court was informed that sanction against Lalu Prasad has been obtained from the Home Ministry in a fresh charge sheet in the case.

Goel had then issued summons to all the accused.

The CBI 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, on July 3, filed a charge sheet against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav.

"During the period 2004-2009, Lalu Prasad (then Railway Minister) had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members in lieu of appointment of substitutes in Group ‘D’ posts in different Zones of Railways," a CBI official had earlier said.

A number of residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold and gifted their land in favour of the family members of Lalu Prasad and a private company controlled by him and his family.

"No advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointment of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees, who were residents of Patna, were appointed as substitutes in different Zonal Railways located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur.

"In continuation of this modus operandi, about 1,05,292 sq ft land and immovable properties located in Patna were acquired by Lalu Prasad and his family members through five sales deeds and two gift deeds, showing the payment made to the seller in cash in most of the land transfer," the CBI had said. The CBI had filed the charge sheet in the case on October 10, 2022 against 16 persons, including Rabri Devi and her daughter, and sanction was then obtained to prosecute them.