IRCTC hotels case: Delhi court defers formal framing of charges against Lalu, others

New Delhi, Oct. 30 -- A Delhi court on Friday adjourned the formal framing of money laundering charges against former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav, and others in the Enforcement Directorate's case regarding the alleged IRCTC hotel scam to November 19.

Special Judge Prashant Kumar adjourned the proceedings to November 19, noting that the prosecution did not oppose the pleas seeking adjournment.

The judge, however, made it clear that all accused persons, except those exempted by any order of a superior court and against whom a stay had been granted, had to be present on the next date of hearing.

Out of 16 accused arrayed by the Enforcement Directorate, the predecessor court, earlier on September 10, discharged seven and ordered framing charges against nine.

The court had said there is a strong suspicion against the accused, and the nature, timing, and course of the investigation do not indicate that the complaint was motivated by a political vendetta against Lalu Prasad, as had been argued by his counsel.

The predecessor court had already framed charges of corruption against the RJD patriarch and 11 others last October in the CBI case in the alleged scam.

The agency had alleged that from 2005 to 2014, under the stewardship of Lalu Prasad, the then railways minister, a tender was manipulated by railway officials for the award of the lease of radio hotels at Ranchi and Puli to Sujata Hotels.

It claimed that as quid pro quo, the directors of Sujata Hotels, namely Vinay Kochhar and Vijay Kochhar, transferred their prime land at Patna to a company named DMCPL, which was controlled by Prem Chand (PC) Gupta and his wife Sarla Gupta, close associates of Lalu Prasad, at undervalued rates.

According to the ED, Sarla Gupta and others subsequently transferred the shares of this company to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav at a pittance, and the new entity which controlled the virtually free land was Lara Projects LLP.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.