Land-for-Jobs-Case: Delhi Court Grants Regular Bail to Ex-Bihar CM Rabri Devi & Daughters

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday granted regular bail to Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, and Hridyanand Chaudhary in the land-for-job case linked to money laundering. Previously, they were granted interim bail on February 9, 2024.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne granted regular bail to the accused persons upon furnishing a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety bond in the same amount. The court noted that they were not arrested during the investigation, and there is no apprehension of the accused fleeing from the law.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a reply on the regular bail applications of Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, and Hridyanand Chaudhary. The Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for ED, Manish Jain, along with Snehal Sharda appeared and submitted that if bail is granted, strict conditions may be imposed due to the gravity of the allegations.

Meanwhile, Amit Katyal has also applied for an extension of interim bail, which is granted until March 4. The court has instructed the ED to file a reply on the application and listed the matter for March 5.

The court had issued interim bail to Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, and Hema Yadav after they appeared in court on February 9. They were summoned by the court following the cognizance of a charge sheet filed by the ED.

Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, and Hridyanand Chaudhary appeared physically, while Amit Katyal appeared through video conferencing. The court had issued summons to former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, Hridyanand Chaudhary, and other accused in the case on January 27.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne had issued the summons to the accused persons after taking cognizance of the charge sheet filed by the ED. The court issued a production warrant to produce Amit Katyal on the next date of hearing.

Two firms, namely AK Infosystem and AB Export, have also been accused in this case, and cognizance has been taken against them. The court, while taking cognizance of the charge sheet, stated that there is sufficient material to proceed.

According to the ED, in 2006-07, AK Infosystem was formed by Amit Katyal for IT data analysis, but no real business was conducted. Instead, several land parcels were bought by the company, including one related to the main predicate offense of land for a job. This company was transferred to the names of Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav in 2014 for a consideration of one lakh rupees, the ED submitted.

The ED had named Amit Katyal as the only arrested accused, with other accused being Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, AK Infosystem, AB Export, and Hridyanand Chaudhary.

The ED had filed a Prosecution Complaint (Charge sheet) in the Land for Job scam money laundering case on January 9, 2024, naming Bihar’s former CM Rabri Devi, her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, Hridyanand Chaudhary, and Amit Katyal. Two firms, AB Export, and AK Infosystems were also accused.

The Delhi High Court had refused to quash ED proceedings against Amit Katyal, who is accused of engaging in transactions with the family members of former railways minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

In March, based on specific intelligence inputs, searches were conducted at 24 locations in Delhi NCR, Patna, Mumbai, and Ranchi in the Railways land-for-job scam, resulting in the recovery of unaccounted cash, foreign currency, gold bullion, gold jewelry, and incriminating documents.

The ED investigation revealed that several pieces of land in prominent locations in Patna and other areas were allegedly illegally acquired by the family of the then Rail Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav, in exchange for railway jobs. Several benamidars, shell entities, and beneficial owners for these lands have been identified.

Furthermore, investigation under PMLA revealed that a property in New Friends Colony, Delhi, registered in the name of AB Exports Private Limited, was acquired at a nominal value but its present market value is much higher. It is suspected that a significant amount of cash/proceeds of crime has been infused into purchasing this property.

The ED investigation also found that lands acquired from poor Group-D applicants were sold at significant gains, with a major portion of the amount received being transferred to the account of Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

Investigations revealed that lands were taken from several poor parents and candidates in exchange for Group D jobs in the Railways. It was also revealed that in many Railways Zones, more than 50 percent of recruited candidates were from constituencies associated with Lalu Yadav’s family.