Tejashwi Reject Allegations, Denounce IRCTC Case as Politically Motivated
Tejashwi Yadav labels the court’s framing of charges against him and his family as a political vendetta ahead of polls.
A Delhi court on Monday framed charges of corruption, cheating, and criminal conspiracy against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and their son Tejashwi Yadav in the alleged IRCTC hotel scam case. The court observed that Lalu Prasad was the “fountainhead of the conspiracy”, while Rabri and Tejashwi “emerged prima facie as participants” in the scheme involving manipulation of tenders and undervalued land transfers.
Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order in the presence of all accused, paving the way for a full-fledged trial. The court held that Lalu Prasad, during his tenure as Union Railway Minister (2004–2009), abused his position as a public servant, altered tender eligibility conditions, and conspired to grant contracts for the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels in Puri and Ranchi to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, a Patna-based company. In exchange, land parcels were allegedly transferred at undervalued rates to a firm linked to the Yadav family, Delight Marketing Pvt. Ltd.
“You engaged in conspiracy and abused your position as a public servant. You influenced the tender and manipulated eligibility conditions. You conspired for the undervalued purchase of land parcels,” the court said in its order. It directed that Lalu would face charges of criminal misconduct and conspiracy, while Rabri and Tejashwi would be tried for cheating and conspiracy to cheat. All accused have pleaded not guilty, and the case will now move to trial.
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Reacting to the development, Tejashwi Yadav dismissed the allegations as politically driven. Calling it a “political vendetta”, he said the timing of the charges was intended to tarnish his family’s image ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. “The person who gave ₹90,000 crore profit to Indian Railways for the first time is now being accused of corruption. Lalu Ji was called a ‘management guru’; even Harvard and IIM students studied his work,” Tejashwi said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have alleged that the Yadav family benefited through land and property deals obtained below market value in return for hotel tenders. With the court’s order, the decades-old case enters a crucial phase, likely to have significant political implications in Bihar, where corruption, governance, and legacy politics remain central themes ahead of the polls.
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