The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the trial proceedings against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with the land-for-jobs scam during his tenure as the Union Railways Minister from 2004 to 2009.
The top court upheld the Delhi High Court’s May 29 order, which had earlier dismissed Yadav’s plea to stay the proceedings in a special CBI court. However, the apex court granted him exemption from personal appearance before the trial court and urged the High Court to expedite the hearing.
“We are not inclined to interfere… his appearance is dispensed with. We request the High Court to expedite the hearing,” a bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh stated.
Yadav had approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash the criminal proceedings, arguing that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not obtain prior sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which is mandatory before initiating probes against public servants.
Representing Yadav, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal contended that the case lacked legal sanction for investigation. In response, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the CBI, argued that Section 17A was not applicable in this case as the alleged offences occurred before the 2018 amendment to the law.
The CBI, which registered the case in May 2022, has alleged that Lalu Yadav and his family members received land parcels as bribes in exchange for railway jobs. These Group “D” appointments were allegedly made without public notification and involved the misuse of official position.
On June 7, the CBI filed a comprehensive charge sheet naming Yadav, several family members, and 77 others, including 38 beneficiaries of the alleged illegal job appointments.
The case now continues in the trial court, with the High Court scheduled to hear the plea for quashing the FIR on August 12.