Double trouble for Lalu family ahead of Prez polls

The income-tax department on Wednesday questioned Misa Bharti, MP daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, in connection with its probe into land deals worth Rs 1,000 crore. Image: File

NEW DELHI: In a double trouble for Lalu Prasad Yadav's family ahead of presidential elections, the RJD chief on Thursday appeared before a special CBI court in the infamous fodder scam whereas his daughter Misa Bharti was on Wednesday quizzed by the Income Tax department in benami land deal case. Last month, the Supreme Court had ruled that Lalu Prasad will have to stand trial in all the four fodder scam cases setting aside a Jharkhand High Court order that had dropped conspiracy charges against the former Bihar chief minister. Lalu has been convicted and sentenced to five years' imprisonment in one of the five cases he faced in the Rs 900-crore fodder scam. Misa questioned The income-tax department on Wednesday questioned Misa Bharti, MP daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, in connection with its probe into land deals worth Rs 1,000 crore. Officials said Bharti was questioned about her personal finances and investments, especially in real estate, when she finally deposed before the investigating officer of the case here after skipping similar summons at least twice. Bharti was also asked about her and her family's "connection" with Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited. The IT department has charged six family members of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, including wife, son and daughters, under the new and stringent anti-benami assets Act in connection with its probe into land deals worth Rs 1,000 crore. The department has also served notices of attachment of assets to Lalu's MP daughter Misa Bharti, son-in-law Shailesh Kumar, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, son and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and daughters Chanda and Ragini Yadav. The department has attached about a dozen plots and buildings in Delhi and Bihar including a farm house and land in the Palam Vihar area, a residential building in the upmarket New Friends Colony area of south Delhi, nine plots on a 256.75 decimal land area in Phulwari Sharif area in Patna, where a shopping mall was being constructed, among few others in the same area in Bihar's capital. The department has said these alleged benami assets bear a "deed" value of about Rs 9.32 crore but the taxman has estimated their current market value at Rs 170-180 crore. (With PTI inputs)