The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a petition filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who has challenged a trial court order framing charges against him in the alleged IRCTC scam case.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma sought the agency’s response on Tejashwi’s main petition as well as his stay application and scheduled the next hearing for January 14. The matter is listed alongside a similar petition by his father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.
On October 13, 2025, a special CBI court had framed charges against 14 accused, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and their son Tejashwi, in connection with alleged irregularities in awarding operational contracts for two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels to a private firm.
The charges include cheating (Section 420 IPC), criminal conspiracy (Section 120B IPC), and criminal misconduct by a public servant under Sections 13(2) read with 13(1)(d)(ii) and (iii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The trial court observed that a common charge of conspiracy and corruption is made out against all 14 accused, which includes individuals as well as the private firm M/s LARA Projects LLP.
The alleged scam dates back to Lalu Yadav’s tenure as the Union Railway Minister. According to the CBI, operational contracts for IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri were awarded to a private company in violation of tender norms, in exchange for prime land transferred to companies linked to Lalu Yadav’s family.
Apart from the Yadav family, the court had framed charges against several other accused, including former IRCTC officials Pradeep Kumar Goel, Rakesh Saksena, Bhupendra Kumar Agarwal, Rakesh Kumar Gogia, and Vinod Kumar Asthana.
Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, Sarla Gupta, and Prem Chand Gupta were also named as co-accused and face similar charges under the IPC and PC Act.
If convicted, the accused face a maximum sentence of 10 years under the Prevention of Corruption Act and up to 7 years under the IPC for cheating.
Tejashwi and Lalu Yadav have both approached the High Court seeking quashing of the charges framed against them, asserting that the allegations lack merit and due process was not followed.
The matter will now be further heard on January 14, when the High Court will consider the pleas of both father and son in the high-profile corruption case.
