New Delhi: A team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials on Tuesday reached the residence of Misa Bharti here, to question her father and former Railway Minister Lalu Yadav in connection with the land-for-job case.
According to sources, the health condition of Lalu Prasad is not good after his knee surgery and he is not able to speak.
On Monday, Lalu Yadav’s wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi was interrogated for almost four hours in Bihar by the probe agency.
A senior CBI official, on condition of anonymity, told IANS that it was only further investigation on the basis of fresh inputs and evidence.
Rabri Devi, Lalu Prasad and others have been summoned by the Delhi’s Rouse Avenue District Courts to appear before it on March 15.
The CBI has got the prosecution sanction against Lalu Prasad in the matter.
In January, the CBI furnished the prosecution sanction letter before the concerned court. The CBI had, in October, chargesheeted 16 accused including Lalu Prasad, his wife, daughter, then GM, Central Railways, then CPO, private persons, and candidates in the matter.
During the investigation, the CBI had said that the accused in conspiracy with the then GM Central Railways and CPO, Central Railways engaged persons as substitutes in lieu of land either in their name or in the name of their close relatives.
This land was acquired at prices lower than the prevailing circle rate and much lower than the market rate.
“The candidates have used false TC and submitted false attested documents to the Ministry of Railways,” the CBI has alleged in the chargesheet.
It was learnt that Rabri Devi and daughter Hema Yadav were gifted land by job seekers who were later appointed in railways.
Haridayanand Chaudhary, a railway employee and Bhola Yadav, the then OSD to former former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav were earlier arrested by the CBI. Bhola was Lalu’s OSD between 2004 to 2009.
What is the case:
The CBI registered a case against Lalu Yadav, the then union railway minister, his wife Rabri Devi, two daughters and 15 others, including unknown public servants and private persons.
“During the period 2004-2009, Yadav had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group “D” Post in different Zones of Railways,” the official said.
A number of residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold and gifted their land in favour of the family members of Yadav and a private company controlled by Yadav and his family.
“No advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointment of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as Substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur.
In continuation of this modus operandi, about 1,05,292 Sq. feet land, immovable properties situated at Patna were acquired by Yadav and his family members through five sales deeds and two gift deeds, showing the payment made to the seller in cash in most of the land transfer,” the CBI official said.
Further investigation is on.
(IANS)
