Land-for-job case: Tejashwi Yadav appears before CBI; Misa Bharti questioned by ED

A four-storey bungalow in Delhi’s New Friends Colony, registered in the name of A.B. Exports Private Limited, owned and controlled by Mr. Yadav and family, was shown to have been bought for just ₹4 lakh

Combined file photo of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav (L) and RJD MP Misa Bharti (R) | Photo Credit: PTI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday examined Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in connection with the land-for-job case, allegedly involving his father and former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and others. The Enforcement Directorate recorded the statement of his sister and Rajya Sabha MP, Misa Bharti, in the same matter.

After questioning for about eight hours, Mr. Yadav went to the official residence of Ms. Bharti in the evening. She was quizzed by the ED for close to seven hours.

The CBI had earlier summoned Mr. Yadav thrice, but he had then expressed his inability to join the probe. He had also cited his wife’s health, in response to the summons seeking his appearance on March 11.

In lieu of land parcels

In October last year, the agency had filed a chargesheet against 16 accused persons, including Mr. Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, eldest daughter Ms. Bharti, the then Railway general manager Sowmya Raghavan and then chief personnel officer, Kamal Deep Mainrai. The CBI had secured prosecution sanction against the former Railway Minister in January, for further court proceedings in the case.

After registering the case alleging that the appointment of certain substitutes to the Railways’ Group-D posts had been made in lieu of land parcels, the CBI carried out searches in Delhi and Bihar last May. The First Information Report was based on the purported findings during a preliminary enquiry into the allegation that during 2004-09, many ineligible candidates were appointed as substitutes. The beneficiaries were later regularised.

According to the probe agency, about 1.05 lakh sq. ft of land in Patna was allegedly acquired by Mr. Prasad’s family members, and in most cases, the payments were shown in cash. The land parcels directly transferred to them, were bought at prices ranging from ₹3.75 lakh to ₹13 lakh, which was lower than the then prevailing circle rates, the CBI alleged.

“Proceeds of crime”

Based on the CBI case, the ED is also conducting a money laundering probe. Earlier this month, it searched 24 premises in and around Delhi, Patna, Mumbai, and Ranchi, during which ₹1 crore and $1,900 in cash, 540 gm of gold bullion and over 1.5 kg of gold jewellery, apart from property documents and sale deeds were allegedly seized.

Subsequently, the ED had alleged that the searches resulted in the detection of “proceeds of crime” currently amounting to ₹600 crore. It also alleged that a four-storey bungalow in Delhi’s New Friends Colony, registered in the name of A.B. Exports Private Limited that was owned and controlled by Mr. Yadav and family, was shown to have been bought for just ₹4 lakh. It said the property’s present market value was ₹150 crore.

“Searches resulted in the detection of proceeds of crime amounting to ₹600 crore approximately at this point of time,...in the form of immovable properties of ₹350 crore and transactions of ₹250 crore routed through various ‘benamidars’,” the ED had said in a statement.