Delhi high court dismisses Lalu Prasad Yadav's plea to stay proceeding in land-for-jobs case
The trial court is slated to hear arguments on charges against the RJD chief on June 2, after the court dismissed his plea to stay the proceedings
The Delhi high court on Saturday dismissed RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's plea to stay a trial court proceeding in connection with the 'land-for-jobs' scam, reported news agency ANI.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have been investigating the former Bihar chief minister and his family, after he allegedly granted railway jobs in exchange for land parcels from candidates or their relatives.
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The case was registered on May 18, 2022 against Lalu Yadav and others, including his wife, two daughters, unidentified public officials and private persons. In his petition in the high court, Lalu Yadav had sought the quashing of the FIR as well as the three chargesheets filed in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and the consequential orders of cognisance.
The trial court is slated to hear arguments on charges against the RJD chief on June 2.
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Earlier in court, senior advocate Kapil Sibal had argued on behalf of Lalu Prasad Yadav and stated that the CBI enquiry, the resulting FIR and chargesheets could not be legally sustained as they had failed to obtain prior sanction under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The sanction under section 17A is a mandatory requirement of law to launch any enquiry or investigation against a public servant, as per Sibal, reported ANI.
"What will I do if the charge is framed? Please wait for a month. We will argue the matter. For 14 years, you have waited (to register the FIR). This is only mala fide," Sibal submitted.
Senior advocate DP Singh, arguing on behalf of the CBI said, "It is a case where public servants were told by the cronies for the minister to do these selections and land was given in lieu. Therefore, it is called the land-for-jobs case. The minister was misusing his position."
He stated that under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, necessary sanction for making charges had been obtained.
