Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Lalu Prasad’s youngest son Tejashwi Yadav was questioned by the CBI for almost eight hours at its headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday in connection with the railways land-for-job scam case. The RJD leader’s MP sister Misa Bharti was also quizzed for seven hours by the Enforcement Directorate in the same case.
On March 16, a questioning date was decided before Delhi High Court Judge Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, following an assurance given by the CBI’s counsel to Tejashwi’s counsel that no arrest would be made. Prior to this, the RJD leader’s lawyer, senior advocate Maninder Singh, had argued in court that his client would be arrested if he appeared before the CBI.
It is believed that the CBI’s line of inquiry during the questioning, which was related to the alleged scam, focused on Tejashwi Yadav’s financial transactions, including any possible links to AB Exports Private Limited and AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd.
How did it go?
Before leaving his New Delhi residence for the CBI headquarters, Tejashwi Yadav told the media, “We have been cooperating with the investigative agencies from the beginning. However, given the prevailing political environment in the country, it would be easy to bow down, but it takes great courage to fight. We have chosen to fight, and we will fight and prevail."
Tejashwi Yadav left his home at 10:10 am and arrived at the CBI headquarters in Delhi at 10:30 am, as previously decided in the Delhi High Court on March 16. He was questioned by the CBI until around 3 pm. He then left for a lunch break and to visit his pregnant wife Rajshri, who is admitted to a hospital in South Delhi. After a 90-minute break, Tejashwi returned to the CBI headquarters and the questioning continued until 7:30 pm. Once the questioning was over, he left for Pandara Park where his elder sister and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti resides.
Meanwhile, Lalu’s eldest daughter Misa Bharti was also summoned by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) for questioning. She arrived at the ED office in Delhi at 11:05 am and was questioned by the central agency for seven hours, with a one-hour lunch break in between.
In an exclusive conversation with News18, Bharti refrained from commenting much and stated that she could not reveal details as the investigations were still ongoing. “Whatever I was asked, I answered to the best of my ability. If I am called again, I will definitely appear and continue to cooperate with the investigations," she said.
Here in Patna, the residence of Rabri Devi, the mother of Tejashwi and Misa, remained deserted throughout the day as no supporters were spotted. In the late evening, Devi, who is also an accused in the scam case, left for Delhi.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, she stated that she was going to visit her daughter-in-law who is currently hospitalised. When asked about the questioning of Tejashwi and Misa, she expressed her faith in the investigations being conducted by the central agencies and stated that she believed justice would be served by the courts.
“We are doing what the courts have instructed us to do because we believe in the courts. We have been following their instructions," she said.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi said that Tejashwi Yadav will have to explain how he became the owner of a four-storey house worth Rs 150 crore in Delhi’s Friends Colony. “CBI wants answers to such questions from him," he said.
Modi said the house in Delhi’s Friends Colony was originally owned by AK Infosystems, and later Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav became the owners of this company by paying a small amount. He claimed that JDU’s late Sharad Yadav and Lalan Singh had submitted a memorandum to Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of the UPA government, demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter. Later, Lalan Singh provided strong evidence to the CBI at the behest of Nitish Kumar. Sushil Kumar Modi further added that the CBI wants to uncover the truth in this matter, while the RJD and JDU are playing politics over this issue related to corruption.
ED’s revelations after Raids on March 10
According to an ED press release following the raids that took place on March 10 at 24 different locations in the country, the agency claimed it had unearthed more than Rs 600 crore of proceeds of crime in the ‘Land for Job’ scam case.
According to the release, it stated that the investigation under PMLA revealed that the property located in New Friends Colony, Delhi, which is an independent four-storied bungalow, was registered in the name of M/s A B Exports Private Limited, a company owned and controlled by Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and his family. The property was shown to have been acquired for a mere Rs 4 Lakhs, whereas its present market value is approximately Rs 150 Crore.
“It is suspected that a huge amount of cash/proceeds of crime has been infused in purchasing this property and few Mumbai-based entities dealing in the gems and jewellery sector were used to channel ill-gotten proceeds of crime in this regard."
It further stated that although the property has been on paper declared as the office of M/s A B Exports Private Limited and M/s AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd, “it is being exclusively used as residential premises by Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad Yadav. During the searches, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was found to be staying at this house and was found to be using this house as his residential property.”
What is the Land-for-job Scam?
Lalu Prasad Yadav served as the Union Railways Minister from 2004 to 2009, during which the ‘Land for Jobs’ scam allegedly occurred. According to the CBI, some individuals hired by the Railways in 2008-2009 allegedly gave land plots as bribes to Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri, and their daughters Misa and Hema Yadav, in addition to offering jobs to 12 individuals in the Railway zones of Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur.
During his tenure as Railways Minister, Lalu Prasad allegedly used his position to transfer land properties under the names of his family members in exchange for the appointment of replacements to individuals in Group “D" posts in several railway zones, according to the CBI.
According to the CBI’s FIR, in exchange for these appointments, the individuals who were given jobs in various railway zones sold or gifted their land in Patna to Lalu Prasad’s family members and a private corporation owned by the family.
“Substitutes" in Grade D of Railways were recruited and joined the service much later after their appointment. These substitutes were later regularised after submitting fake documents during the recruitment process which were wrongly verified. According to the CBI, no advertisement or public notice was issued for such appointments, and these people were appointed as “substitutes" in different zonal railways at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur.
According to the agency’s investigation, Lalu Prasad’s family purchased over one lakh square feet of land through this method for only Rs 26 lakh, even though the actual value of the land is estimated to be over Rs 4.39 crore.
“About 1,05,292 sq feet of land/immovable properties in Patna were acquired by the family members of said minister through five sale deeds and two gift deeds, showing the payment made to seller in cash in most of the land transfers,” a CBI official told News18.
In “due haste”, railway officials are said to have substituted the candidates for Group D positions within three days of their applications, and they were later regularised “in place thereof of the individuals themselves or their family members donated their land”, according to the agency.
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