Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has requested the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi to discharge him from the IRCTC corruption case, claiming insufficient evidence to frame charges. His counsel, senior advocate Maninder Singh, argued that the tenders for the IRCTC hotels were awarded fairly, and no wrongdoing can be attributed to Lalu Prasad Yadav. Special judge Vishal Gogne heard the arguments and scheduled further hearings on April 21.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had earlier concluded its arguments, asserting that Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, and others were involved in corruption and conspiracy in the hotel maintenance contracts. Special Public Prosecutor D P Singh, along with Advocate Manu Mishra, contended that the contracts for the BNR Ranch and BNR Puri hotels were improperly awarded to Sujata Hotel, a private firm owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochar. The CBI maintained that there is ample evidence to frame charges against the accused.
The case pertains to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as Union Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009. The CBI has alleged that in exchange for awarding the hotel contracts, Lalu Prasad Yadav acquired three acres of prime land through a benami company. An FIR was registered against him on July 7, 2017, followed by raids at 12 locations associated with Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members in Patna, New Delhi, Ranchi, and Gurgaon.
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