ED Files First Charge Sheet in Railways Land-For-Jobs Money Laundering Case, Names Rabri Devi

In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed its first charge sheet on Tuesday in the money laundering case associated with the railways land-for-jobs scheme. The charge sheet identifies former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and her Member of Parliament daughter, Misa Bharti, in connection with the alleged irregularities.

An alleged close associate of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's family Amit Katyal, some other individuals and companies have been named in the prosecution complaint (charge sheet), they said. The filed charge sheet has been submitted before a specialized Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court located in Delhi. According to sources, the court has scheduled the hearing for the matter on January 16.

In connection with this case, Katyal was apprehended by the ED in November of the previous year. Although Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, were summoned by the agency, they have not yet provided their statements. The purported scam is related to the time when Prasad held the position of the railway minister during the UPA-1 government.

It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, several people were appointed to Group "D" positions in various zones of the Indian Railways and in lieu, these people transferred their land to the family members of the then railway minister Prasad and a linked company named A K Infosystems Private Limited. The money laundering case, filed under the criminal sections of the PMLA, stems from a complaint lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI has filed a charge sheet in this case earlier.