ED summons Lalu, Tejashwi in 'land-for-jobs' case

While Tejashwi has been asked to depose on December 22, Prasad has been asked to appear on December 27 to record their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and his father Lalu Prasad, the RJD supremo, in connection with the 'land for jobs' money laundering case, officials said on Wednesday, a day after they attended the fourth meeting of I.N.D.I.A bloc.

Tejashwi has been asked to appear before investigators in ED office in Delhi on December 22, while Lalu has been given a December 27 date to record their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency had earlier questioned Tejashwi on April 1, while this is the first summon for Lalu in this case.

The ED had in March this year conducted searches at the premises of Lalu and his family members and claimed it seized unaccounted Rs 1 crore in cash and detected Rs 600 crore in proceeds of crime from the RJD first family. The agency had then conducted searches at 24 locations during which it also recovered foreign currency worth $1900, 540 gms gold bullion and more than 1.5 kg of gold jewellery.

The latest summons come a month after a close associate of the Lalu family, Amit Katyal, was arrested by the ED in November. Katyal was the director of this company when it acquired land from candidates "on behalf" of Lalu, the ED earlier claimed in a statement.

"The registered address of the company is D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, which is the house belonging to Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members. Several other lands were also acquired by Amit Katyal in the said company in return for giving undue favours by Lalu Prasad Yadav when he was minister of railways," the agency said adding the shares of the company were "transferred" to the family members of Lalu Prasad in 2014 after acquiring the land

The ED case is based on a CBI FIR in May 2022 which alleged that Railway jobs were given to people in 2008-09 when Prasad was Railways Minister in lieu of land. Besides Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi and daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav are also named in the CBI FIR along with 12 people who were given jobs in Railways in 2008-09.

According to the CBI, the candidates were appointed as substitutes in group D positions within three days of applying in "undue haste" and were later regularised after they transferred land to Lalu's family. The transfers were made through three sale deeds in the name of Rabri Devi and one in the name of Misa and two gift deeds in the name of Hema, the CBI had claimed.

The agency also alleged that land measuring about 1.05 lakh square feet in Patna was acquired by Lalu's family members by making payments to the sellers in cash. The CBI has also filed chargesheet in the case against Prasad and 15 others, including Rabri Devi.