A Delhi court on Tuesday summoned former rail minister Lalu Prasad and some of his family members, including his wife, two sons and two daughters, in connection with the land-for-jobs ‘scam’.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne summoned the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo’s wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, two sons — ex-Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and former state minister Tej Pratap Yadav — and daughters Misha Bharti, a member of Parliament, and Hema Yadav, in connection with the case.

The accused have been directed to appear before the court on March 11.

The judge said the allegations and material cited in the chargesheet with respect to the role of Lalu Prasad Yadav, “with the active participation of his aides Bhola Yadav and R K Mahajan, the transfer of parcels of land in favour of Lalu Prasad’s family members — Rabri Devi, Hema Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav — and the appointment of candidates, who were also arrayed as accused, upon the recommendation of railway officials, also named as accused in the chargesheet, form cogent prima-facie indication of the role of all 76 accused persons in the allegations crystallised in the concluding chargesheet”.

“In view of the above allegations and the sanction for prosecution of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bhola Yadav, R K Mahajan and the railway officials having been granted, the cognisance of the offences in question is taken by the court. The court finds sufficient grounds to summon all the accused,” the judge said.

He further noted that “substantial time” was taken by the CBI in investigating the allegations, and about two years were “consumed” in filing of the multiple chargesheets and supplementary chargesheets, and directed the central probe agency to ensure that the service of the summons be effected expeditiously and by utilising adequate man power.

The case is related to Group D appointments made in the West Central Zone of the Indian Railways based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the rail minister between 2004 and 2009 in return for land parcels gifted or transferred by the recruits in the name of the RJD supremo’s family or associates, officials said.

A case was registered on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Prasad and others, including his wife, two daughters, unidentified public officials and private persons.

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