ED files chargesheet against Rabri Devi and daughters in Land-for-Jobs case

The ED on Tuesday, has reportedly filed a chargesheet against former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, along with her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, in a land-for-jobs money laundering case. The chargesheet, encompassing 4,751 pages, was submitted before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi, and the hearing is scheduled for January 16.

According to reports, an alleged close aide of RJD chief Lalu Yadav's family Amit Katyal, along with other individuals and companies have been named in the chargesheet. Katyal was already arrested in November last year in connection with the case. The Delhi high court refused to quash the ED proceedings against him.

The federal agency has issued summons to Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Yadav previously several times, but they have not yet deposed.

The alleged land-for-job scam took place between 2004 and 2009 when Lalu Yadav was the railway minister during the Congress-led coalition regime. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that irregular appointments were made in the railways, violating the laid down norms and procedures of Indian Railways for recruitment. It added that those who got the jobs as “substitutes” in the railways - either directly or through their family members and relatives - sold land to Lalu's family members at “highly discounted rates”.

However, the Yadav family has denied the allegations, accusing the misuse of central agencies by the BJP-led central government.