In a significant development in the alleged land-for-jobs scam, a Delhi court on Friday ordered the framing of charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav, and 38 others.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne, presiding over the CBI special court, observed that Yadav treated the Ministry of Railways “as his personal fiefdom” to run what he described as a “criminal enterprise” in which public employment was misused to acquire land parcels through a network involving his family, close aides, and railway officials.
The court ordered that charges be formally framed on January 23, 2026.
Out of the 103 accused originally named in the CBI charge sheet, five have passed away. The court has discharged 52 others, including several railway officials, citing lack of material to proceed to trial against them. The remaining 41, including members of the Yadav family, will face trial under charges that include criminal conspiracy, cheating, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that during Lalu Yadav’s tenure as Railway Minister between 2004 and 2009, several Group-D appointments were made in the West Central Railway zone in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. In exchange, candidates or their family members allegedly gifted or sold land at highly subsidised rates to the Yadav family or their associates.
The CBI has further alleged that these transactions involved benami properties and were carried out in gross violation of established recruitment norms, thereby constituting criminal misconduct and abuse of official position.
All the accused, including the Yadav family, have denied the charges and claimed the case is politically motivated. They argue that the appointments were made legally and that the land transactions were unrelated.
The CBI had earlier submitted a verification report confirming the identities and status of the accused. The formal framing of charges, which will mark the beginning of the trial stage, is now scheduled for January 23.
