Land-For-Jobs Case: ED Carries Out Searches At Multiple Locations Linked To Lalu Yadav's Family And RJD Leaders

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday conducted searches in multiple cities of Bihar and other locations, including premises of former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav's three daughters and RJD leaders, in connection with a money laundering investigation into the land for jobs 'scam' case.

The searches are covering the premises linked to Prasad's daughters Ragini Yadav, Chanda Yadav and Hema Yadav and former RJD MLA Abu Dojana in Patna, Phulwari Sharif, Delhi-NCR, Ranchi and Mumbai, officials said.

The case pertains to people allegedly given employment in the railways in return for land parcels gifted or sold at cheap rates to the Yadav family and its associates, they said.

The CBI has filed a charge sheet in the case against Prasad, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and 14 others under charges of criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and all the accused have been summoned on March 15, officials had said.

The ED case, filed under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, stems from this CBI complaint.

Both Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi were questioned by the CBI in this case recently.

What is the Land-for-jobs scam?

A total of 1,458 people, mostly residents of Patna, were appointed as Group D ‘substitutes’ in various zones of the Indian Railways when Lalu Yadav was the Union Railway Minister between 2004 and 2009.

‘Substitutes’ are appointed when a post falls vacant and needs to be filled up immediately because of ‘exigencies of the job’. The ‘substitutes’ draw same pay and allowances as regular employees;

The railway authorities did not advertise the vacant posts and invite applications from candidates, nor were the appointments notified publicly as is required.

The candidates were appointed after they or their families ‘sold’ land parcels, mostly in Patna, to Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and their two daughters at rates much below market prices;

Some land parcels were even ‘gifted’ to the Yadavs, and all the transactions were carried out in cash in violation of norms; 

The people appointed as Group D ‘substitutes’ did not join their posts immediately, thus negating the grounds for their emergency appointment; all these appointments were subsequently regularised.

With inputs from PTI.