Tejashwi, Misa questioned byCBI, ED in land-for-jobs case

Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar deputy chief minister and son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, was on Saturday questioned by CBI, while his sister Misa Bharti was interrogated by ED in their parallel corruption and money laundering probes linked to the land-for-jobs scam.

Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar deputy chief minister and son of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, was on Saturday questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), while his sister Misa Bharti was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in their parallel corruption and money laundering probes linked to the land-for-jobs scam which allegedly took place when Lalu Prasad was the Union railways minister from 2004-09.

Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav. (ANI)

The allegations relate to appointment of substitutes in Group D jobs in Central Railways from 2004-09 in violation of norms and procedures of the Indian Railways for recruitment. The candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to Lalu’s family at discounted rates of up to one-fourth to one-fifth of prevailing market rates.

Most of the properties were allegedly sold by candidates either to Rabri Devi, wife of Lalu Prasad, or Misa Bharti, while a four-storey house in New Friends Colony in Delhi, where Tejashwi Yadav resides, was given to a company linked to the Yadav family at throwaway prices, the probe agencies have claimed.

Tejashwi Yadav presented himself before the investigators on Saturday after skipping three summons issued to him earlier this month. CBI last week gave an assurance in the Delhi high court that he won’t be arrested “at this point of time” in the case, after which he agreed to appear before the probe team and reached the agency office on Saturday around 10.30am. He left at around 8pm.

He had approached the court seeking to quash the summons against him, citing the ongoing assembly session in Bihar.

He was asked questions related to allegations that land parcels and properties were transferred in the names of his family members, people familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity.

“We have been cooperating with investigative agencies from the beginning. But the kind of political environment prevailing in the country, it is easy to bow down. But it is very tough to fight,” Tejashwi Yadav said before leaving for the interrogation. “We have chosen to fight. We will fight and we will prevail.”

Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha member, reached ED headquarters around 11am. Her statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as she is one of the accused in the case. She was earlier summoned on Tuesday, but came to ED office for the first time on Saturday. She left around 7:15 pm.

ED has claimed it has found proceeds of crime worth ₹600 crore in the land-for-jobs case. These include the bungalow in New Friends Colony in Delhi worth ₹150 crore.

On March 15, a special CBI court in Delhi granted bail to Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi in the case. They were questioned by CBI earlier this month.

The fresh round of questioning, according to officials in both the agencies, is taking place “as part of the further investigation based on fresh inputs gathered in last few months”.

CBI filed its first charge sheet in the case in October, naming Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti and 13 others.

The charge sheet, reviewed by HT, highlighted that nine persons were appointed as substitutes in Group D in Central Railways without any such requirement and there was no urgency for their appointment. “It has been revealed that in lieu of the transfer of lands on throwaway prices, in favour of wife and daughter of Lalu Yadav, nine candidates as per wishes of sellers were engaged in railways. Out of nine persons, two were sellers themselves while remaining 7 were family members or close relatives of the sellers,” the charge sheet said.

CBI has further said that the “applications were processed in haste manner and engagements were approved in violation of due procedure and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Railways through various circulars time to time”. In most candidates’ cases, it has been found that either documents submitted by them were incomplete or false.