President Approves Prosecution of Lalu Prasad Yadav in Land-for-Jobs Scam

According to official sources, President Droupadi Murmu has granted consent to prosecute Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Union Minister Lalu Prasad in the alleged land-for-jobs scam that is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

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Reports say Murmu provided permission as required under section 197(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Section 218 of the Bill for a New Social Security Act, 2023.

The ED charged the 76-year-old former Chief Minister of Bihar, along with his son and former Deputy Chief Minister of the state, Tejashwi Yadav, and other family members in August last year in the money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

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The case originated from a CBI FIR alleging that Lalu Prasad, who served as the Union Railway Minister at the time, engaged in corruption in the appointment of Group D substitutes in the Indian Railways from 2004 to 2009.

According to the CBI FIR, candidates or their family members were allegedly told to transfer land as a bribe in return for jobs with the Indian Railways and those parcels of land were directly or indirectly registered in the name of family members of Lalu Prasad. The CBI has also filed three relevant charge sheets in this case.

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