Delhi HC Seeks CBI Reply in Lalu Yadav IRCTC Scam Case
Delhi HC Seeks CBI Reply in Lalu Yadav IRCTC Scam Case
Delhi High Court asks the CBI for its response to Lalu Prasad Yadav's plea challenging charge framing in the IRCTC scam; trial continues as the court seeks submissions.
The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the CBI's response to a plea by Lalu Prasad Yadav challenging the order framing charges in the IRCTC scam case. The court said it cannot stay the trial at this stage without receiving the probe agency's reply and issued notice to the CBI, listing the matter for further hearing on January 14.
On October 13, 2025, the trial court had framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and 11 others for offences including cheating, criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. A common charge under IPC section 120B read with section 420 IPC, along with other IPC charges and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, was directed to be framed against the accused, including Pradeep Kumar Goel, Rakesh Saksena, Bhupendra Kumar Agarwal, Rakesh Kumar Gogia and Vinod Kumar Asthana, among others.
The court had also directed that the charge be framed under IPC section 420 against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi, M/s LARA Projects LLP, Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, Sarla Gupta, and Prem Chand Gupta. A paragraph noting that land and share transactions in the case appeared to reflect crony capitalism fostered in the garb of private participation in the Railways' hotels at Ranchi and Puri was highlighted in the trial court's observations.
Lalu Prasad Yadav challenged the charge framing order before the High Court, arguing that the framing of charges was not properly justified. The High Court will now examine the CBI's response before deciding on the plea, while the trial continues and no stay has been granted at this stage. The proceeding remains high-profile, with ongoing scrutiny of alleged irregularities surrounding the Railways' hotel ventures.
