Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court directed that charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) be framed against nine accused, including Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, Lara Projects, PC Gupta, Sarla Gupta, Sujata Hotels and hotel promoters Vijay and Vinay Kochhar. Seven other accused were discharged from the proceedings.
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The court found sufficient material at this stage to proceed with the prosecution’s case that Lalu, while serving as railway minister, had allegedly abused his official position in connection with the award of tenders for the operation and maintenance of IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri. The court directed the accused charged on Thursday to appear before it on October 3.
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According to the prosecution, the tenders were allegedly manipulated in favour of a private company and, in return, a parcel of prime land in Patna was transferred through entities linked to persons close to Lalu. The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that the land represented the proceeds of the alleged criminal activity and that subsequent transactions were used to confer the benefit on members of the Yadav family.
The court observed that there was a strong suspicion of abuse of office by Lalu during his tenure as railway minister. It also held that the investigation against him could not, at this stage, be characterised as politically motivated. The court further found grounds to treat the Patna property, allegedly transferred through the chain of transactions, as proceeds of crime.
With regard to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi, the court noted the prosecution’s allegation that they ultimately benefited from the property in question and found sufficient grounds to proceed against them. Lalu and his kin have repeatedly denied the charges levelled against them.
