IRCTC hotel scam: Delhi court defers formal framing of charges against Lalu Yadav, 8 others

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday adjourned the formal framing of money laundering charges against former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav, and six others in the Enforcement Directorate's case regarding the alleged IRCTC hotel scam to October 30.

Special Judge Prashant Kumar adjourned the proceedings to October 30.

The judge asked ED to seek instructions based on the order of the predecessor court.

Out of 16 accused arrayed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the predecessor court on September 10 discharged seven and ordered the framing of charges against nine.

It had posted the matter for formal framing of charges on October 3.

Earlier, the predecessor court said there was a strong suspicion against the accused, and the nature, timing, and course of the investigation do not indicate that the complaint was motivated by a political vendetta against Lalu Prasad, as his counsel argued.

It already framed charges of corruption against the RJD patriarch and 11 others last October in the CBI case in the alleged scam.

According to the ED, from 2005 to 2014, under then-railways minister Lalu Prasad, a tender for running IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri was manipulated to favour Sujata Hotels.

It claimed that as quid pro quo, the directors of Sujata Hotels – Vinay Kochhar and Vijay Kochhar – transferred their prime land in Patna to Delight Marketing Company Pvt. Ltd. (DMCPL), a company controlled by Prem Chand Gupta and his wife Sarla Gupta, who were close associates of Lalu Prasad, at undervalued rates.

Sarla Gupta and others subsequently transferred the DMPL shares to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav at a pittance, with the entity later being renamed Lara Projects, it said.