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Tejashwi Yadav appears before CBI in land-for-jobs scam
Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav had skipped three CBI summons against him earlier this month and approached the court to quash the summons saying the Bihar assembly session was on till April 5
Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav has appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today for questioning in the land-for-jobs scam after skipping previous three summons earlier this month.
The federal probe agency had assured the Delhi high court last week that he won’t be arrested “at this point of time”.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader had approached the court to quash the summons against him saying the Bihar assembly session was on till April 5.
People familiar with the developments said Tejashwi will be questioned regarding allegations that when his father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union railway minister between 2004 and 2009, substitutes were appointed in the Railways in lieu of transfer of land parcels to Lalu’s family members.
“Investigation has revealed that Lalu Prasad Yadav, during the period 2007-08, when he was Union minister of railways, with the intent to acquire the land parcels situated in Village Mahuabagh, Patna and Village Kunjwa, Patna which were situated adjacent to the land parcels already owned by his family members, entered into criminal conspiracy with his wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misa Bharati, officers of central railways and others and in pursuance thereto irregular appointments of candidates were made in central railway, violating the laid down norms of Indian railways for recruitment,” CBI said in its charge sheet in the case, reviewed by HT.
“As quid pro quo, the candidates directly or through their immediate relatives/family members, sold land to the family members of Lalu Yadav at highly discounted rates up to 1/4th to 1/5th of the prevailing market rates,” the charge sheet added.
A Delhi court on February 27 took cognizance of the charge sheet, which has named 16 persons including Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and Misa Bharti.
In a parallel money laundering probe in the land-for-jobs scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) too raided several premises of Lalu Yadav’s family members including Tejashwi Yadav’s house in Delhi’s New Friends Colony earlier this month.
The ED said it has detected proceeds of crime (PoC) worth ₹600 crore in the land-for-jobs case. These include a bungalow in New Friends Colony, Delhi worth ₹150 crore, where Tejashwi Yadav resides.
Tejashwi alleged that the government is acting against its political opponents through agencies.
“It is an open secret that probe agencies are acting against political opponents of the BJP and helping those who agree to align with that party,” he said after raids at his bungalow and other locations connected with him.
