CBI Court Reschedules Pronouncement on Yadav Family in Land-for-Jobs Case
Delhi court again delays framing charges in explosive land-for-jobs scandal.
A Special CBI Court in New Delhi, once more deferred its long-awaited order on framing charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, their son and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, and nearly a hundred others in the high-profile land-for-jobs money laundering case, rescheduling the pronouncement to December 8 after directing the agency to file a fresh status report confirming the exact number and identity of surviving accused.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne noted that of the original 103 individuals named in the chargesheet, four have died, necessitating an updated verification to ensure procedural integrity before formal charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Indian Penal Code sections for criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act are read out in open court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation maintains that between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad Yadav served as Union Railway Minister, scores of Group-D posts in the West Central Railway zone headquartered at Jabalpur were filled through a meticulously orchestrated quid pro quo: substitutes and casual workers were recruited without advertisements, interviews, or merit lists, and within months transferred valuable land parcels in Bihar either directly to the Yadav family or to shell companies and benami entities controlled by close associates at nominal prices.
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Documents seized by the agency allegedly show that several recruits sold prime agricultural and residential plots to Rabri Devi and her daughters for as little as Rs 5–10 lakh per acre, despite prevailing market rates exceeding Rs 50 lakh, while others executed gift deeds entirely in favour of family members shortly after securing permanent railway employment, transactions the CBI terms blatant criminal misconduct and laundering of proceeds of corruption.
The defence has consistently denounced the case as a politically motivated witch-hunt orchestrated by the central government, insisting no direct evidence establishes a link between the appointments and land transfers, and that many transactions were legitimate sales conducted years before or after the alleged employment period. With the December 8 hearing now the latest decisive date, the protracted legal battle continues to cast a long shadow over one of India’s most prominent political dynasties.
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