Land for job case: CBI files prosecution sanction against 30 public servants

The sanction against one public servant is awaited. Prosecution sanction against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has already been filed by the CBI.

Special judge Vishal Gogne was informed that prosecution sanction against 30 public servants has been received from a competent authority. The same has been filed. One sanction is awaited.

Thereafter the court adjourned the matter till December 23.

On November 7, the court directed the competent authority to grant sanction within one week to prosecute public servants accused in the CBI case linked to the land for job case.

On September 20, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed sanction to prosecute former Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

On June 7, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a conclusive charge sheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav and 77 other accused in the land-for-job case. The charge-sheet also included 38 candidates.

The court on May 29 directed CBI to file its conclusive Charge sheet/Charge sheet in land for job case. The court had also expressed its displeasure over non-filing of conclusive charge sheet despite giving time.

In this case, Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members are also accused.

Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav are arrayed as accused in Land for Job Scam.

On October 4, 2023, the court granted bail to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Rabri Devi and others in relation to fresh chargesheet in the alleged land for job scam case.

According to the CBI, the 2nd chargesheet is against 17 accused including then Union Minister of Railways, his wife, son, then GM of West Central Railways(WCR), then two CPOs of WCR, private persons, private company etc. in a case related to Land for Job Scam

The CBI filed a chargesheet in Land for Job alleged scam case against former Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav including Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and others .

CBI had registered a case on 18.05.2022 against then Union Minister of Railways and others including his wife, two daughters and unknown Public servants and Private persons.

It is alleged that then Union Minister of Railways during the period 2004-2009 had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members etc. in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group "D" Post in different Zones of Railways. It was further alleged that in lieu thereof the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold & gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of the family members of said Minister and a private company controlled by his family members, which was also involved in transfer of such immovable properties in the name of said family members.

It was also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointments of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as Substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur.

Searches were conducted at multiple places including in Delhi & Bihar etc, said CBI.

During investigation, it was found that then Union Minister of Railways with intent to acquire the land parcels situated at the places where his family was already owning land parcels or the places which were already connected to him entered into conspiracy with associates & family members and allegedly derived a design to grab the land of various land owners by offering / providing group D employment in Railways, CBI said.

The accused had allegedly collected applications and documents of such candidates through associates and then sent those to West Central Railway for processing and providing jobs in Railways and the General Managers of West Central Railways under the influence /control of accused accorded approval for engagement of candidates.

For providing jobs in Railways, they allegedly devised an indirect way wherein the candidates were engaged firstly as Substitutes and subsequently, were regularized. A hard disk containing lists of candidates (who were engaged) was also recovered during searches. It was further alleged that a land parcel was purchased in the name of a private company at Rs 10.83 Lakh during 2007 and subsequently, the said land along with some other land parcels purchased by the said company, were brought into the ownership / control of his wife & son of then Union Minister of Railways by way of transfer of shares at Rs One Lakh only.

At the time of transfer, the company was allegedly owning land parcels purchased at a total cost of Rs 1.77 crore(approx) and it was transferred for a mere Rs 1 Lakh(approx) only, however, the market value of the lands were much more.

Earlier, a chargesheet was filed on 07.10.2022 against 16 accused. (ANI)