Delhi court orders money laundering charges against Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi in IRCTC case

A Delhi court on Thursday ordered that money laundering charges be framed against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, his son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and six others in a case registered by the Enforcement Directorate over the alleged IRCTC scam.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne said there was a "strong suspicion" against seven persons for the offence of money laundering. The judge also observed that the nature, timing and course of the investigation did not appear to be inspired by political vendetta, a contention that had been pressed by counsel for the accused. Seven accused in the case were discharged.

The development follows the framing of corruption charges last October against the RJD patriarch and 11 others in the CBI case connected to the alleged scam.

The CBI's first information report had alleged that Lalu Prasad, during his tenure as Railway Minister in the UPA-I government, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company in 2004 after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna. The land was allegedly routed through a benami company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of former Union Minister Prem Chand Gupta.

The ED registered its criminal case against Prasad's family members and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on the basis of the CBI FIR. The agency probed the alleged proceeds of crime generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies.

Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar and Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels, the company Delight Marketing — now known as Lara Projects — and the then IRCTC managing director P.K. Goel.

The CBI FIR was registered on July 5, 2018, in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in the award of a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri, and the receipt of premium land as quid pro quo.