Delhi Court Delays Money-Laundering Charges in IRCTC Hotel Case Involving Lalu Yadav Family

On Saturday, a Delhi special court deferred the formal framing of money-laundering allegations against former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and eight additional individuals to October 30. Judge Prashant Kumar asked the Enforcement Directorate to obtain instructions in line with a previous court ruling. The predecessor bench had earlier cleared seven of the sixteen accused and set the charge-framing for October 3 for the remaining nine.

The Enforcement Directorate alleges that, while Lalu Prasad headed the railways from 2005 to 2014, a tender for IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri was steered toward Sujata Hotels, whose directors allegedly transferred prime Patna land to Delight Marketing Company Pvt. Ltd. at low prices. That company, controlled by Prem Chand Gupta and Sarla Gupta, later passed shares to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav, eventually becoming Lara Projects. The case follows earlier CBI corruption charges against the RJD patriarch and others.