Edited By Sangeeta Das
The Enforcement Directorate or ED has submitted its initial chargesheet in the railways land-for-jobs money laundering case, implicating former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and her daughter MP Misa Bharti.
The chargesheet, filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act or PMLA court in Delhi, includes the names of an alleged “close associate” of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family, Amit Katyal, along with other individuals and companies. The court has scheduled a hearing for January 16.
Amit Katyal, arrested by the ED in November last year, is linked to the case. Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, have been summoned by the ED but have not deposed yet.
The alleged scam is related to the period when Lalu Prasad Yadav served as the railway minister in the erstwhile UPA-1 Government. The accusations suggest that between 2004 and 2009, individuals were appointed to Group “D” positions in various Indian Railways zones.
In return, these appointees allegedly transferred their land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav and a connected company named AK Infosystems Private Limited.
The money laundering case, filed under the PMLA’s criminal sections, originated from a complaint filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation-CBI. The CBI had previously submitted a chargesheet in this case.
