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Patna: The CBI has raided the official residence of former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi in Patna on Monday morning. According to reports, the CBI team has reached Rabri Devi’s house to inquire about the case of giving a job in exchange for land.
Earlier, in the IRCTC scam case, the court has issued summons to 14 accused including Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti and asked them to appear before the court on March 15. This summon has been issued at a time when Lalu has recently returned home from Singapore after undergoing a kidney transplant.
The CBI is probing the allegations of taking land for bribe in lieu of a job in the Railways. The agency has also filed a charge sheet in this case. Lalu Yadav’s close and former MLA Bhola Yadav and Hridayanand Chaudhary are also accused in this case. Bhola Yadav, who was the OSD of RJD leader Lalu Yadav, was arrested by the CBI on 27 July. Bhola was OSD to the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav between 2004 and 2009.
Taking cognizance of the charge sheet after it was filed, the Rouse Avenue Court has sent summons to a total of 14 people. On March 15, the court will start questioning all the accused and after that the charges will be framed.
The land for job scam is 14 years old. This scam dates back to the time when Lalu Yadav was the Railway Minister. It is claimed that Lalu Yadav had taken land from people in lieu of giving them jobs in the railways when he was the railway minister. Lalu Yadav was the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009. On May 18, the CBI had registered a case in this matter. According to the CBI, the people were first recruited as substitutes in Group D posts in the Railways and were regularized when their families made a land deal.
CBI says that Lalu Yadav’s family has allegedly encroached 1.05 lakh square feet of land in Patna. The deal of these lands was done in cash. That is, the Lalu family had bought these lands by paying cash. According to the CBI, these lands were sold at very low prices.
The CBI also found that no advertisement or public notice was issued for the recruitment of substitutes in Zonal Railways. But, the families who gave their land to the Yadav family, their members were given railway appointments in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur.
According to ED, haste was shown in approving the applications of some candidates. Some applications were approved within three days. West Central Railway and Western Railway approved and appointed the applications of the candidates even without complete address.
Altogether, Lalu Yadav and family had allegedly given jobs to 7 candidates in exchange of land. Five of these lands were sold, while two were given as gifts.
