In a major setback for the RJD ahead of the high-stakes Bihar election, a Delhi court framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his son Tejashwi and wife Rabri Devi in the IRCTC scam case.
On Monday, the Delhi court charged the Yadav family with cheating and criminal conspiracy, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne passed the order in the presence of all the accused, paving the way for a full trial.
Lalu and his family have pleaded not guilty, and said they will face the court trial.
The alleged IRCTC scam is said to have taken place between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu was Railway Minister in the UPA government.
The CBI, in its chargesheet, said that Lalu awarded the maintenance contracts of two IRCTC hotels to a private company by manipulating the tender process.
The CBI filed an FIR against Lalu and his family in 2017. The CBI had told the court that there are sufficient evidence to frame charges against all the accused.
It has been alleged that Lalu Prasad Yadav awarded the contracts to a Patna-based private firm, Sujata Hotels, in exchange for land as a bribe.
The chargesheet also includes the then Group General Managers of IRCTC, VK Asthana and RK Goyal, as well as Vijay and Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owners of Chanakya Hotel.
