New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday sought personal appearance of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on the CBI’s plea seeking cancellation of his bail in a scam case in relation to railway hotels.
Special CBI Judge Geetanjali Goel of Rouse Avenue Court sought the personal appearance of Yadav on October 18 while granting time to his counsel to respond in the matter.
On September 17, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) approached the court challenging the bail granted to Yadav in the alleged scam involving the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The case dates back to 2006 when his father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister in the UPA-I government. It was alleged that there were multiple irregularities connected to IRCTC hotels’ maintenance contracts with a private firm.
The RJD leader and his mother Rabri Devi were granted bail in the case in 2018.
In one of its contentions, the central agency has submitted that Tejashwi Yadav had threatened its officials during a press conference, thereby influencing the case.
Two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri were involved in the bribe case.
The probe agency had earlier claimed that there was enough evidence in the IRCTC matter against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav, among others.
On August 24, the CBI had conducted multiple raids on the premises of RJD leaders in Patna, Katihar, Madhubani, Vaishali, and Sitamarhi districts. Besides that, it also conducted an investigation into another case of Urban Cubes mall in Gurugram, purportedly on the belief that Tejashwi Yadav had made investment in it.
After the raids, Tejashwi Yadav was reportedly heard saying at a press conference that “CBI officials don’t have mother and children? Don’t they have a family? Will they always remain CBI officers? Will they not retire? Will only this party remain in power? What message do you want to send? You should honestly discharge the duty of the constitutional organisation.”
(IANS)
