CBI lodges case against Lalu, Rabri, Tejaswi, raids 12 locations

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Patna : In a major setback to RJD chief and former Railways Minister Lalu Prasad, 69, the  CBI on July 7, 2017, registered a case against him,  his wife and former CM Rabri Devi, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and his son Tejashwi, the then IRCTC MD PK Goyal, wife of Lalu’s confidante and former Union Minister Prem Chand Gupta, and others, for their alleged irregularities in award of tenders for development, maintenance and operation of Railways Heritage BNR hotels at Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

The BNR Hotels are heritage hotels of the Railways, which were taken over by the IRCTC from the public transporter earlier in the same year. Lalu was Railways Minister during 2004-09.

CBI sources said the investigating agency also conducted raids on July 7 at 12 location including Delhi, Patna, Ranchi, Puri and Gurugram. It also carried out search operation at Lalu’s Patna residence. Lalu as Railway Minister had allegedly handed over maintenance of two Railway hotels BNR Ranchi and Puri to Sujata Hotel (a company owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar) after receiving prime land of three acres through a benami company. The FIR alleged that Lalu Prasad  as railway minister abused his official position for extending undue favours to Kochhars, acquired a “high value premium land” through a benami company Delight and as a quid pro quo, dishonestly and fraudulently managed award of leasing BNRs at Ranchi and Puri to the company of Kochhars.

It may mentioned here that Lalu and his family member are already on Income-tax (IT) and ED radar for their alleged Benami land deals. Lalu is organising a mega rally at Patna on August 27, 2017.

RJD chief Lalu has, however, denied any wrong doing. He was at Ranchi on July 7 to appear before a CBI court in a fodder scam case. “Everything was done according to the system,” Lalu said adding he is used handling CBI. The RJD has termed the CBI move as a political vendetta by the BJP. RJD leader Manoj Jha said it is clearly a case of political vendetta by BJP.  Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh said ,”law is taking its own course, now Nitish ji can’t remain a mute spectator. He will have to make his stand clear now.”