CBI Raids Multiple Locations In Bihar In Connection With Land-For-Job Case

The CBI conducted raids at nine locations in Bihar’s Patna and Arrah linked to Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders Kiran Devi and Arun Yadav in connection with its probe into the alleged land-for-jobs scam.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids at nine locations in Bihar’s Patna and Arrah linked to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Kiran Devi and Arun Yadav in connection with its probe into the alleged land-for-jobs scam. Searches are also underway at sites related to a man identified as Prem Chand Gupta in Noida, Delhi and Gurugram. RJD MLA Kiran Devi and her husband Arun Yadav, also a former MLA, are close to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad. Yadav is in the sand mining business. 

The raid is also underway at their residence in the village of Angiyav in Bhojpur as well as the official residence of MLA Kiran Devi in Patna.

The CBI has been investigating former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and several members of his family in connection with the case for some time now. 

Earlier, the agency alleged that around 12 people from Patna were appointed to Group D posts in the Railways when Prasad was the Railways Minister. And in return for their appointments, Lalu’s family got seven plots of land in the city and elsewhere for a pittance, officials have alleged. Officials also said the plots belonged to the families of those 12 people, reported Indian Express.

What Happened In Land-For-Job Scam Case

The chargesheet against former Bihar chief ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, their daughter Misa Bharti, and 13 others in the land-for-jobs scam was filed in October of last year by the CBI.

According to the chargesheet, the investigation revealed that the accused engaged individuals as substitutes in lieu of land either in their name or in the names of their close relatives in coercion with the then-GM Central Railways and CPO, Central Railways.

This land was purchased for significantly less than the market rate and the current circle rate. According to the CBI statement, candidates were also accused of using fake TCs and submitting fake attested documents to the Ministry of Railways.

During Lalu Yadav's tenure as Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009, the alleged scam is said to have taken place. The chargesheet also includes the name of the then-Railway General Manager, in addition to the chief of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

According to the CBI, the investigation had revealed that the candidates had been considered for their engagement without the need for substitutes, that there was no urgency for their appointment, which was one of the main criteria for the engagement of substitutes, and that they took on their responsibilities much later after their appointment was approved, and that they were then regularized.

There were a few oddities found in the utilizations of the up-and-comers and the reports that were encased because of which the applications shouldn't have been handled and their commitment shouldn't have been supported however it was finished.

According to the CBI, candidates were also considered and appointed to positions requiring an inferior or lower medical category because, in the majority of cases, they joined their jobs in their respective divisions at a later date, defeating the purpose of substitute appointments. In other instances, candidates were unable to pass their medical examinations in the required category to which their engagement was made.

In response to the CBI's chargesheet, the Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi issued summons on February 27 against Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi, and 14 others in connection with an alleged land-for-job scam.