Land-for-railway jobs scam: CBI files charge sheet against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi
New Delhi(PTI): The CBI filed a charge sheet Friday against former railway minister Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and 14 others in connection with alleged appointments made in Railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold to his family, officials said.
In the charge sheet filed before a special CBI court here, the agency has also named Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti, former general manager of Central Railways Sowmya Raghvan, former CPO Railways Kamal Deep Mainrai, seven aspirants appointed as substitutes and four private individuals.
"During investigation, it has been found that the accused in conspiracy with the then GM, Central Railways, and CPO, Central Railways, engaged persons as substitutes in lieu of land either in their name or in the name of their close relatives," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency has kept the investigation open with respect to other transactions, they said.
"This land was acquired at prices lower than the prevailing circle rate and much lower than the market rate. It was also alleged that the candidates have used false TC and submitted false attested documents to the Ministry of Railways," the spokesperson said.
During the probe, the agency claimed to have found a hard disc from 10 Circular Road, Patna, the then camp office of Prasad when he was the Union railway minister. The CBI said it had a list of 1,458 candidates engaged in the Railways during his tenure.
The agency has alleged that residents of Patna were appointed as 'substitutes' in group D posts in different zones of the Railways who were regularised during 2004-09.
In exchange, the beneficiaries themselves or their family members allegedly transferred land parcels in the name of family members of Prasad and a company called AK Infosystems Private Limited, the agency has alleged. The company was subsequently taken over by Prasad's family members, it said.
The payments for the parcels of land were mostly shown to be made in cash, while there were also instances of transfer of land through gift deeds, it is alleged.
The candidates were allegedly appointed as substitutes in group D positions within three days of applying in "undue haste" by Railway officials and were later regularised when the "individuals themselves or their family members transferred their land", according to the agency.
The transfers were made through deeds in the name of Rabri Devi and daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, the agency alleged.
Hema Yadav has not been named in the present charge sheet.
The agency has alleged that land measuring about 1.05 lakh square feet in Patna was acquired by Prasad's family members by making payments to the sellers in cash.
A beneficiary had countered the CBI allegations in a court, claiming that he had transferred a land parcel to Prasad's daughter through a gift deed in 2014 whereas he had already been appointed as a substitute nearly 10 years ago.
He had said that the land was acquired by him years after he joined the Railways.
"No land was transferred by the applicant to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav in lieu of his appointment in the Railways as a substitute as the applicant already stood appointed as a 'substitute' in the Railways before he himself acquired the piece of land alleged by the CBI to be a consideration for his appointment," he had submitted.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
