New Delhi [India], September 20 : The Rouse Avenue court issued summons to three accused in the Land for job money laundering case linked to former Railway Minister and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and businessman Amit Katyal.
Special judge Vishal Gogne issued summons to Mustkim Ansari, Lal Babu Chaudhary and Rajendra Singh after considering the supplementary charge sheet.
The matter is listed on October 13 for scrutiny of documents on a day-to-day basis. The court had earlier issued summons to 16 accused, including Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The court has directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file the amended memos of the accused persons. It is also directed to supply the copies of the supplementary charge sheet alongwith documents and a list of unrelied documents.
The court has asked the ED to supply copies of the Prosecution sanction related to Lalu Prasad Yadav to the accused. In September 2024, the court issued a summons to Lalu Prasad Yadav, RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, and elder son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav and other persons.
The Court has summoned Akhileshwar Singh as well as his wife Kiran Devi. Tej Pratap Yadav was not charge-sheeted by the ED, but the court found sufficient material against him to issue a summons.
Tej Pratap Yadav was summoned for the first time in a land case.
The court had summoned Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejaswi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhileshwar Singh, Hazari Prasad Rai, Sanjay Rai, Dharmendra Singh, and Kiran Devi.
The ED on August 6, 2024, filed the first supplementary charge sheet against Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, former deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav and other accused in the land for job scam.
This supplementary charge sheet had named Lallan Chaudhary, Hazari Rai, Dharmender Kumar, Akhileshwar Singh, Ravinder Kumar, Late Lal Babu Rai, Sonmatia Devi, Late Kishun Dev Rai and Sanjay Rai.
Four accused, namely Lallan Chaudhary, Lal Babu Rai, Kishun Dev Rai and Sonmatia Devi, died. Proceedings against them were abated by the court.
The ED had submitted that in 2006-07, an AK Info System was formed by Amit Katyal, and its business was IT data analysis. No real business was done. Instead, several land parcels were bought by the company. One land parcel pertains to the main predicate offence, that is land-for- job.
This company was transferred in the name of Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav in 2014 for the consideration of one lakh Rupees, ED had submitted.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 9, 2024 filed a Prosecution Complaint (Charge sheet) in Land for job scam money laundering case.
ED had submitted that A B Export was supposed to be in the business of export. It was incorporated in 1996. In 2007, Rs. five crore came through five companies and a property in New Friends colony was purchased.
In this case, seven land parcels are allegedly involved. Out of these Rabri, Hema Yadav, Misa Bharti allegedly got land parcels. Later on, they sold out their land parcels. Katyal is said to be a close aide of former railways minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.
According to the ED in March month 2024, based on the specific intelligence inputs, searches were conducted at 24 locations at various places in Delhi NCR, Patna, Mumbai and Ranchi in the Railways Land for Job Scam, which resulted in recovery of unaccounted cash of Rs 1 Crore, foreign currency including USD 1900, 540 gms gold bullion and more than 1.5 kg of gold jewellery (worth Rs 1.25 Crores approximately), several other incriminating documents including various property documents, sale deeds etc held in the names of family members and benamidaars indicating illegal accretion of huge land bank and electronic devices.
Searches resulted in the detection of Proceeds of Crime amounting to Rs 600 Crore approximately at this point in time, which is in the form of immovable properties of Rs 350 Crore and transactions of Rs 250 Crore routed through various benamidars, ED stated.
According to the ED PMLA investigation conducted, several pieces of land at prominent locations in Patna and other areas were illegally acquired by the family of the then Rail Mantri, Lalu Prasad Yadav, in lieu of jobs provided in the Railways.
ED investigation alleged that 4 parcels of land acquired by the family of Lalu Yadav in just Rs 7.5 Lakhs from poor Group-D applicants were sold to Syed Abu Dojana, Ex-RJD MLA, by Mrs Rabri Devi with huge gains at Rs 3.5 Crore in a collusive deal. ED investigation further revealed that a major portion of the amount thus received was transferred to the account of Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.
Investigations revealed that in a similar fashion, lands were taken from several poor parents and candidates in lieu of Group D jobs in the Railways. It has been revealed during the investigation that in many railway zones, more than 50% of recruited candidates were from Lalu Yadav's constituencies, stated ED.