On Saturday, Tejashwi Yadav, the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged land-for-jobs scam. Yadav appeared for interrogation at the CBI office in Delhi after he skipped appearing on the previous three dates.
According to the reports, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader was brought to the investigation team after completing the required formalities upon his arrival at the CBI headquarters at approximately 10.30 am. Last Monday, the CBI assured the Delhi High Court that Yadav would not be detained this month.
Yadav before appearing at the CBI headquarters said that he and his party have been cooperating with the agencies. “We have always cooperated with the agencies but the situation in the country is that it has become very difficult to fight but we have decided to fight against this and we will win,” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi: We have always cooperated with the agencies but the situation in the country is that it has become very difficult to fight but we have decided to fight against this and we will win: Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav pic.twitter.com/3loMPAW0Ba
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2023
The RJD leader’s attorney Maninder Singh commented on the matter and said that Yadav had informed the federal agency that he would need some time to appear before the investigators as the current Bihar Assembly session is slated to end on April 5.
Moreover, Singh had informed the court that Yadav will appear before the investigating officer on March 25 at 10.30 am at the CBI headquarters in Delhi. CBI’s counsel DP Singh then had said that the Assembly is not convened on Saturdays and Yadav could appear for interrogation on any Saturday in March.
The summonses issued against him on February 28, March 4, and March 11 were also challenged by the RJD leader. In the land-for-jobs “scam” case, a special CBI court granted bail to Yadav’s mother Rabri Devi, father Lalu Prasad, sister Misa Bharti, and others on March 15.
Yadav had refused to appear before CBI claiming that his wife was hospitalized due to ED raids
Earlier on March 11, Yadav had refused to appear before the CBI claiming that his pregnant wife had to be hospitalized following the ED raids. He said his wife fainted due to BP problems after twelve hours of ED interrogation at his residence.
The summons reportedly was issued to Tejasvi Yadav after the ED raided 15 places of Lalu Yadav’s close associates in Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, and Patna on Friday. These include Tejashwi Yadav’s house in Delhi and the residences of Lalu’s three daughters Hema, Ragini, and Chanda. Apart from these, the Ghaziabad residence of Lalu’s brother-in-law Jitendra Yadav was also raided. The ED, during the raids, seized Rs 53 lakh, US$ 1,900, 540 grams of gold, and 1.5 kg of gold jewellery.
Previously, as part of a money laundering investigation into a purported “land-for-jobs” case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched 24 places, including Yadav’s Delhi home, other locations in the national capital area, Patna, Ranchi, and Mumbai.
Land for Jobs scam
The CBI in the first chargesheet filed in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam stated that irregular appointments of candidates were made in Central Railway, violating the laid down norms and procedures of Indian Railways for recruitment.
As a quid-pro-quo, the candidates directly or through their immediate relatives/family members, sold land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav (then Union Railway Minister) at highly discounted rates up to 1/4th to 1/5th of the prevailing market rates, stated CBI.
The investigations revealed that Lalu Prasad Yadav during the period 2007-08, when he was Union Minister of Railways, with the intent to acquire the land parcels situated in Vill- Mahuabagh, Patna and Vill-Kunjwa, Patna which were situated adjacent to the land parcels already owned by his family members; entered into a criminal conspiracy with his wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misha Bharati, Officers of Central Railways namely Sowmya Raghvan the then General Manager, Kamal Deep Mainrai, the then Chief Personnel Officer, and residents of Vill-Mahjabagh, Patna and Vill-Bindaul, Bihta, Patna and Patna City namely Raj Kumar Singh, Mithlesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Dharmendra Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Ravindra Ray, Kiran Devi, Akhileshwar Singh, Ramashish Singh.
According to the CBI, all the candidates after their engagement as substitutes were subsequently regularized.
In lieu of getting them appointed in Railways, Lalu Prasad Yadav got the lands transferred owned by candidates and their family members in the names of his wife Rabri Devi and Misha Bharti for sale consideration which was much lesser than the prevailing circle rates as well as the prevailing market rates.
