President Droupadi Murmu has approved the prosecution of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in a money laundering case linked to the infamous land-for-jobs scam. The sanction has been granted under Section 197(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, now updated as Section 218 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR.
The CBI alleges that between 2004 and 2009, during Yadav’s tenure as Railway Minister, appointments to Group D posts in the Indian Railways were made in exchange for land parcels. These plots were allegedly transferred by job seekers or their families and subsequently registered in the names of Lalu Yadav’s family members, either directly or through proxies. The CBI has already filed three charge sheets in the case detailing these exchanges and naming individuals involved.
The ED filed a prosecution complaint in January 2024 against Yadav’s family members including Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, and Hema Yadav, along with companies A K Infosystems Pvt Ltd and A B Exports Pvt Ltd. A supplementary complaint was filed in August 2024 naming Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. The Special PMLA Court in New Delhi has already taken cognisance of these charges, paving the way for legal proceedings against the RJD chief and his family.
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