New Delhi, October 3 (Daily Kiran) : The legal proceedings in the IRCTC money laundering case involving Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Rabri Devi, and seven others have been postponed. The next hearing at the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi is now scheduled for October 30.
Previously, on September 11, a special court in Delhi delivered a significant ruling in this case, ordering the framing of charges against the key figures, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI had registered a case against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, PC Gupta, and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988.
The investigation revealed that Lalu Prasad Yadav, while serving as the Railway Minister, allegedly misused his official position. He awarded contracts for the development and operation of railway hotels in Puri and Ranchi to Sujata Hotel Private Limited, bypassing regulations. In return for this allocation, a deal was struck to transfer two acres of land to Delight Marketing Company Private Limited at an undervalued price. This company is controlled by relatives of Prem Chand Gupta, a close associate of Lalu Yadav.
Subsequently, the control of this land and company was transferred to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav at a nominal price through share purchases, effectively consolidating ownership within the Yadav family.
The ED exercised its powers under Section 5 of the PMLA to seize assets worth ₹44.75 crore, a move later validated by the adjudicating authority. The ED filed a prosecution complaint in the Rouse Avenue Court on August 24, 2018.
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