Court summons Lalu, Tejaswi, and Tej Pratap Yadav along with others in Land-for-Job money laundering case
New Delhi: In the Land-for-Job money laundering case, the Rouse Avenue court has issued summons to several key figures, including Lalu Prasad Yadav and his sons Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. This is the first time Tej Pratap Yadav has been called in connection with this case.
The court said that Tej Pratap Yadav's involvement could not be ruled out. Although he was not initially charge-sheeted, he was a director at AK Infosys Ltd and has now been summoned.
Special CBI Judge Vishal Gogne issued a summon to Lalu Prasad Yadav, his two sons, and six other accused. They have been directed to appear on October 7.
Other charge-sheeted individuals have also been summoned. The court has included Akhileshwar Singh and his wife, Kiran Devi, in its summons.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a supplementary charge sheet on August 6, listing 11 accused. Four of these individuals have since died.
The court has directed Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejaswi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhileshwar Singh, Hazari Prasad Rai, Sanjay Rai, Dharmendra Singh, and Kiran Devi. The court also clarified that while Akhileshwar Singh was made an accused by the ED, his wife Kiran Devi was not initially charged. However, she is involved in the case for selling land to Misa Bharti in exchange for a job for her son, Abhisek.
The court said that there is sufficient material to proceed further against the accused persons.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court granted regular bail to businessman Amit Katyal on medical grounds on Tuesday. Katyal, who is charged in the land-for-job money laundering case, was previously granted interim bail on medical grounds.
The case involves former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, who are named in the supplementary charge sheet. Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, Amit Katyal, and Hridyanand Chaudhary, had already been charge-sheeted.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna granted bail to Katyal, but a detailed order is yet to be uploaded. Katyal had earlier been on interim bail for 84 days due to medical reasons. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, who represented Katyal, argued that Katyal was the only person arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), while the main accused, Lalu Prasad Yadav, was charge-sheeted without arrest. "Katyal was arrested in November 2023. Since then, he has been in custody. He is even a witness in the connected CBI case. His health was not good, and he had undergone surgery," Pahwa said.
The ED opposed the bail application, arguing that there is substantial evidence against Katyal showing his involvement in the money laundering offence.
On August 17, the Rouse Avenue court reserved its order on summoning former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, among others, in the Land for Job money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
On August 6, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed its first supplementary charge sheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejaswi Yadav, and other accused in the case. This charge sheet names individuals such as Lallan Chaudhary, Hazari Rai, Dharmender Kumar, Akhileshwar Singh, Ravinder Kumar, Lal Babu Rai, Sonmatia Devi, Kishun Dev Rai, and Sanjay Rai. Four of these accused--Lallan Chaudhary, Lal Babu Rai, Kishun Dev Rai, and Sonmatia Devi--have died, and proceedings against them have been abated.
On July 6, the court had directed the ED to file an additional or concluding charge sheet by the next hearing date. The Joint Director of the ED updated the court on the investigation status. The ED's Special Public Prosecutor, Manish Jain, along with Snehal Sharda, appeared for the ED, clarifying that the supplementary charge sheet is based on the evidence collected so far.
The court had previously ordered the ED to expedite the investigation and finalise the pending charges. In April, it instructed the ED to conclude the investigation within two weeks.
In the case, two firms, A K Infosystems and A B Export, are also implicated. The ED claims that A K Infosystems, founded by Katyal in 2006-07, was used to buy land parcels instead of conducting legitimate business. This land was later transferred to Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav for just one lakh rupees.
The ED has also revealed that A B Export, supposedly an export business, was involved in significant financial transactions and property purchases. The ED's investigations indicate that land acquired at low prices was sold at high profits, with proceeds transferred to Tejaswi Yadav. The ED has found that Lalu Yadav's family acquired land illegally in exchange for jobs in the railways, with a current market value exceeding Rs200 crore. The investigation uncovered significant unaccounted cash, gold, and other assets.
The Delhi High Court had earlier refused to quash the ED's proceedings against Amit Katyal. The ED's March raids led to the recovery of substantial unaccounted cash and valuable assets. The investigation has highlighted that several land parcels were acquired illegally by Lalu Yadav's family, further indicating the misuse of funds and assets.
