Former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Rabri Devi with her husband and party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. , Photo credit: ANI
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi have filed a plea in a Delhi court not to conduct the day-to-day trial of the IRCTC fraud case in which both are facing criminal charges.
The application was moved in the court of Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne, who asked Mr Yadav’s lawyer to provide a copy of the application to the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case, and said the agency can file a reply.
During the hearing on Monday (October 27, 2025), the court conducted the main examination of one of the witnesses presented by the prosecution. The court allowed the defendant to cross-examine at a later stage.
In his application, Mr. Yadav said that a total of four criminal cases are pending against him and his family and the concerned courts have ordered daily hearings in almost all of them. The petition also cited the health condition of the elderly couple and the ongoing assembly elections in Bihar. They asked the court to adjourn the hearing for four weeks so they could go through the 18,000-page indictment and nearly 250 pages of the court order framing the charge.
The matter relates to an FIR filed by the CBI in 2017 against Mr. Yadav, his family, IRCTC officers and others. The central agency alleged that Mr. Yadav, during his tenure as Union Railway Minister between 2004 and 2009, entered into a criminal conspiracy with the owners of several hotels in Patna and Puri. He allegedly rigged the process and awarded the tender to the accused persons in return for bribes in the form of high value land and shares.
After the investigation was completed, a charge sheet was filed against Mr. Yadav and 11 others.
Realizing that Mr. Yadav misused his position as Railway Minister at the Center and manipulated the eligibility conditions for land tenders, this court on October 13 framed charges of corruption and criminal conspiracy against Mr. Yadav. Mr Yadav’s wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav were charged with criminal conspiracy and cheating in the same case.
Published – 27 Oct 2025 21:38 IST
