Land-for-jobs case: Supreme Court won't quash case against Lalu Prasad but grants exemption from appearance

On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to quash a CBI FIR in the land-for-jobs case involving RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members.

However, a bench comprising of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh granted exemption to the 77-year-old former Bihar chief minister from appearance before the trial court during the proceedings.

The apex court allowed the RJD supremo to raise the issue of the applicability of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act in the case.

The Delhi High Court had refused to quash a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR on March 24, in the case involving Yadav and his family members, rejecting the his contention that the agency's action was legally unsustainable in the absence of prior sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The land-for-jobs case is related to Group D appointments made in the West Central Zone of the Indian Railways Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, during Yadav's tenure as the railways minister between 2004 and 2009, allegedly in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of his family members or associates, officials informed.

Yadav had contended that the inquiry, FIR, including the investigation and subsequent chargesheets in the matter, were legally unsustainable in the absence of prior sanction taken by the CBI under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The case was registered on May 18, 2022, against Yadav and others, including his wife, two daughters, unidentified public officials and private people.

(with PTI inputs)