RJD chief Lalu Prasad with party leader Tejashwi Yadav.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
A Delhi court on Friday (January 9, 2026) framed charges of corruption and criminal conspiracy against former Bihar Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, and their children Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Misa Bharti, and 42 others in the alleged land-for-jobs scam related to Indian Railways recruitment.Noting that Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Mr. Yadav and his family had acted as a “criminal syndicate” and that there was “overarching conspiracy” on their part, Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue court passed the order on framing of charges.“It added that the Ministry of Railways was used a personal fiefdom by Lalu Yadav,” the court said, while charging the RJD president under the Prevention of Corruption Act among other charges. His family members have been charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy.The court rejected the plea for discharge filed by Mr. Yadav and his family members.Land parcels given to Lalu, familyThe case stems from an FIR filed by the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) in May 2022 citing an alleged scam in the appointments of several substitute employees for the Group ‘D’ posts in the Indian Railways, between 2004 and 2009, when Mr. Yadav had been the Union Minister for Railways. The Central agency alleged that the recruitment for different zones of the Railways was done in exchange for land parcels.The substitutes, who were residents of Patna, themselves or through their family members, sold or gifted their land to the then-Railway Minister, his family, and the private company that they controlled. The company was also involved in the transfer of such immovable properties in the name of Mr. Yadav’s family members, the CBI said.The chargesheet filed in the case in October 2022, alleged that no advertisements or public notice were issued for the Group ‘D’ posts. The candidates in question were inducted into the different zonal railways located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur. They were later regularised through the influence of the accused and the then-general managers posted by Indian Railways.After the CBI investigation, the Enforcement Directorate also started a money-laundering probe into the case. It has allegedly detected “proceeds of crime” currently worth ₹600 crore. Mr. Yadav and his family termed the case as politically motivated and refuted the CBI’s charges. Published - January 09, 2026 10:55 am IST
