CBI Files Final Charge Sheet Against Lalu Prasad in ‘Land for Jobs’ Scam

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed its final charge sheet against former railway minister Lalu Prasad in connection with the ‘land for jobs’ scam. The investigation alleges that Prasad’s family received land parcels from ineligible candidates appointed in various railway zones as ‘substitutes.’

The CBI’s third and final charge sheet, submitted to a special judge for MP/MLA cases, lists 78 accused individuals. Among those charged are Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, his son Tej Pratap Yadav—charged for the first time—his daughter Hema Yadav, former officer on special duty Bhola Yadav, and a former staff member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief.

The charge sheet includes charges under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery, as well as provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The list of accused also features 29 railway officials, 37 candidates, and six private individuals.

According to the CBI, Lalu Prasad, in collaboration with railway officers, family members, and others, engaged candidates as Group D substitutes in 11 railway zones in violation of existing guidelines. These appointments were allegedly made in exchange for land transfers from the candidates or their family members. The investigation revealed that candidates submitted fake educational certificates to secure these positions.

A CBI spokesperson stated, “Candidates who were engaged as substitutes in different zones of Railways were mainly from the districts which were the constituencies of the then Union railway minister and his family members.”

In a previous charge sheet filed on July 3 last year, the CBI had charged Tejashwi Yadav, then deputy chief minister of Bihar and Lalu Prasad’s son. The case was initially registered on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Prasad and 15 others, including his wife, two daughters, and unidentified public servants and private individuals. The first charge sheet was filed in October 2022.

During the investigation, a hard disk found at Lalu Prasad’s residence in Patna contained a list of 1,458 candidates who were employed in the railways during his tenure. The CBI alleged that Lalu Prasad conspired with associates and family members to acquire land parcels by offering Group D railway jobs in return.

The CBI also uncovered that some land parcels were purchased under the name of A K Infosystems to obscure any links between the jobs provided and the land acquired. In 2007, a land parcel was bought for Rs 10.83 lakh and subsequently transferred to Tejashwi Yadav and his mother for merely Rs 1 lakh, despite the lands being valued much higher.

The payments for these land parcels were predominantly made in cash, and there were instances of land being transferred through gift deeds. The CBI alleged that a 1.05 lakh square foot plot in Patna was acquired by Lalu Prasad’s family members through cash payments.