IRCTC case: Lalu, wife, son, top Railway Board official charge-sheeted
New Delhi, April 16: The CBI on Monday filed a charge-sheet against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav, a top Railway Board official, RJD MP P.C. Gupta and others in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities in the 2006 IRCTC hotels maintenance contract case.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official told: "The agency has filed a charge-sheet against 12 persons and two companies in a Delhi court.
"Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, his son and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, then MD of IRCTC P.K. Goel, Chanakya hotel owners Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, Sarala Gupta -- wife of Prem Chand Gupta, and Lara Projects LLP."
Besides, the CBI charge-sheet also named Additional Member of the Railway Board B.K. Agarwal, who was then Group General Manager (GGM) of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The official said in the case filed last year, Agarwal's name was not there. His name was included only after evidence was found against him.
The CBI also charge-sheeted former GGM of IRCTC V.K. Asthana, R.K. Gogia -- then company secretary and GGM of IRCTC, Ramesh Saxena -- then IRCTC Director and Sujata Hotel Pvt Ltd.
The case pertains to the period when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister.
On April 10, the CBI had grilled Rabri Dev for hours in Patna in connection with the case.
In October last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also questioned Lalu Prasad and his younger son Tejashwi Yadav at its Delhi headquarters.
The CBI on July 5, 2017 filed a corruption case against Rabri Devi, Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav for alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts of two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006 to a private firm.
The contracts were given to Sujata Hotels, a company owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochhar -- both named in the CBI FIR -- in lieu of a bribe in the form of a three-acre commercial plot at a prime location in Patna district.
A preliminary CBI inquiry reportedly found that the said land was sold by the Kochhars to one Delight Marketing Company and payment was arranged through Ahluwalia Contractors and its promoter Bikramjeet Singh Ahluwalia, another accused in the case.
Delight Marketing, which bought the property from the Kochhars, was later taken over by Rabri Devi and Tejashwi, the CBI discovered.
Sarla Gupta, wife of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad's close associate Prem Chand Gupta and a director of Delight Marketing, is a co-accused in the case.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the money laundering aspect in the case and it had on July 27 last year registered a separate case following the CBI FIR.
The ED is probing Lalu Prasad and others for alleged transfer of money through shell companies.
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Sanctity of Tirupati 'laddu prasadam' restored, unblemished now, says TTD
Tirupati ( Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Amid concerns among devotees on the quality of ghee used in the famous Tirupati 'laddu prasadam', the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has said sanctity of the sacred sweetmeat has been restored.
In a social media post on Friday night, the TTD, which manages the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, on the hills of Tirumala said the divinity and purity of Srivari Laddu is unblemished now.
“The divinity and purity of Srivari laddu is unblemished now. TTD is committed to protecting the holiness of Laddu Prasadam to the satisfaction of all the devotees,” the temple board said in the post.
The temple body managing the super-rich shrine on Friday revealed it has come across sub-standard ghee and presence of lard in samples tested for quality, echoing claims first made by Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu two days ago.
With the fingers of accusation being pointed at the previous YSRCP regime over the issue, former CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy described the matter as "diversion politics," and slammed it as a "concocted story."
The Centre has sought a report on the matter from the Andhra Pradesh government and promised suitable action after examining it.
Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi called for an investigation into the allegations.
Citing a lab report on Friday, the TTD stated that there was presence of 'lard' (pig fat) and other impurities in the ghee.
TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao said lab tests have revealed the presence of animal fat and lard in chosen samples and the board was in the process of blacklisting the contractor who supplied 'adulterated' ghee.
