CBI arrests former OSD to Lalu Yadav, railways employee in ‘land for jobs’ case

The railway employee arrested by the CBI in the case has been identified as Hridayanand Choudhary.

“During the investigation, it was found that then OSD to former Railway Minister during the period 2005-2009 was involved in the alleged conspiracy in the appointment of a substitute. It was further alleged that the accused was managing affairs in the transfer of land by the family members of substitutes to the family members of the former Railway Minister and also engaging of substitutes in Railway. It was also alleged that the said accused had acquired some properties during the relevant period,” said a CBI spokesperson.

The agency is currently conducting searches at four locations, two in Darbhanga and two in Patna, at premises associated with Bhola Yadav and his aides. Sources said one of the premises in Patna being searched belongs to Bhola Yadav’s chartered accountant.

The CBI had in May booked RJD leader and former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members in a fresh case of corruption. The agency had also launched search operations at 17 locations on premises associated with Yadav and his family members, including his daughter Misa Bharti, among others.

According to the central agency, the fresh case is based on allegations that when Yadav was the railways minister in the UPA government, he allegedly took land plots as bribes to give jobs to people.

The agency has alleged that as many as 12 people were appointed in Group D posts in the Indian Railways from Patna when Lalu Yadav was the railways minister. In lieu of these appointments, family members of Lalu Yadav got seven plots of land in the city and elsewhere for a pittance. All these plots belonged to the families of those 12 people.

According to the CBI, Lalu Yadav’s family acquired over 1 lakh sq ft of land in this way for a meagre Rs 26 lakh when the then circle rate puts the cumulative value of the land at over Rs 4.39 crore.

As many as 16 people have been named as accused in the FIR, which includes Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, his daughters Misha Bharti and Hema Yadav and the beneficiaries of the entire process. They together make up 16 accused.

The CBI initiated a preliminary enquiry in this regard in September last year.

“Enquiry has revealed that some individuals although a resident of Patna, Bihar but were appointed as Substitutes in group D post during the period 2004-2009 in different zones of Railway located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, Hajipur and in lieu thereof the individuals themselves or their family members transferred their land in the name of family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, then Minister of Railway, Govt of India and a Company M/ s AK Infosystems Private Limited,” said the CBI in the FIR.

According to the CBI, all rights with assets of AK Infosystems were transferred to the daughter and wife of Lalu Prasad Yadav in 2014. “Smt Rabri Devi had purchased majority of shares of above company in 2014 and subsequently became Director in the Company,” the CBI has said.

The agency said that in the seven land sale deeds, three sale deeds were executed in favour of Rabri Devi, one was executed in the name of Misha Bharti, one in favour of AK Infosystems, and two gift deeds were executed in favour of Hema Yadav.

“Enquiry has revealed that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for appointment of substitutes in Zonal Railway yet the above substitutes who are residents of Patna were appointed as Substitutes in different Zonal Railway located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur,” it said.

Even though the applications, according to the probe agency, submitted by those appointed were not addressed to the Central Railway, Mumbai, they were processed.

“Enquiry revealed that undue haste was shown in processing certain application of candidates and surprisingly within three days from the date of receipt of respective applications, their appointments as Substitutes, were approved. In other Railway Zones also namely West Central Railway, Jabalpur and Western Railway, Mumbai, the applications, without complete address of the respective addressees, were processed and approved for appointment,” the CBI FIR has said.

The development came weeks after Yadav got bail in one of the fodder scam cases. He has been convicted in four fodder scam cases and is facing trial in another.

Yadav and his family members are also facing trial in another matter of alleged corruption where he stands accused of currying favour to a private company as the railways minister in lieu of prime land in Patna.

Known as the IRCTC scam, Lalu Yadav has already been charge sheeted in the case. The CBI in 2018 charge sheeted Yadav, his wife Rabri and son Tejashwi in the case. The agency has alleged that as the railways minister, Lalu Yadav favoured a company in the award of contracts of two IRCTC hotels for operation and maintenance. As quid pro quo, his family received a prime piece of land in Patna at a throwaway price from the owners of the company that bagged the contract.