4 months ago
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The Delhi High Court connected Monday (January 19, 2026) reserved its bid connected a petition by RJD supremo and erstwhile Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav seeking quashing of the FIR filed by the CBI successful the land-for-jobs case.
Senior advocator Kapil Sibal and further solicitor wide S.V. Raju concluded their submissions earlier Justice Ravinder Dudeja connected behalf of Yadav and the investigating agency, respectively.
In his petition successful the precocious court, Mr. Yadav has sought quashing of the FIR arsenic good arsenic the 3 chargesheets filed successful 2022, 2023 and 2024 and the consequential orders of cognisance.
He has contended that the enquiry, FIR, arsenic good arsenic the probe and consequent chargesheets successful the substance were legally unsustainable successful the lack of the anterior authorisation taken by CBI arsenic is mandatory nether Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Mr. Sibal emphasised connected Monday (January 19, 2026) that adjacent arsenic per the agency, Mr. Yadav acted successful his "official" capableness arsenic the Minister for Railways and truthful authorisation was needed to prosecute him for the acts allegedly done successful "discharge of his authoritative functions oregon duties".
Mr. Raju opposed the submissions and said the sanction, successful the mode claimed by the petitioner, was not required.
The tribunal granted clip to the CBI arsenic good arsenic Mr. Yadav to record their written submissions.
Mr. Raju has earlier argued that the powerfulness to instrumentality a determination oregon marque a proposal connected appointments was with the wide managers and, therefore, determination was nary request to get anterior authorisation nether conception 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to proceed against Mr. Yadav arsenic his behaviour could not beryllium said to beryllium wrong the ambit of "discharge of his authoritative functions oregon duties".
The 'land-for-jobs' lawsuit is related to Group D appointments made successful the West Central Zone of the Indian Railways based successful Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during Lalu Prasad Yadav's tenure arsenic the Railway Minister betwixt 2004 and 2009 successful instrumentality for onshore parcels talented oregon transferred by the recruits successful the sanction of the RJD supremo's household oregon associates, officials said.
The lawsuit was registered connected May 18, 2022, against Lalu Prasad Yadav and others, including his wife, 2 daughters, unidentified nationalist officials and backstage persons.
The petition besides said that the FIR was lodged successful 2022 i.e. astir aft a hold of 14 years contempt the CBI's archetypal enquiries and investigations being closed aft the filing of a closure study earlier the competent court.
"Initiation of the caller probe successful concealment of the erstwhile investigations and its closure reports is thing but an maltreatment of the process of law.”
"The petitioner is being made to endure done an illegal, motivated investigation, successful wide usurpation of his cardinal close to just investigation. Both the initiation of the contiguous enquiries and investigations are non est arsenic some person been initiated without a mandatory support nether Section 17A of the PC Act," the petition claimed.
"Without specified approval, immoderate enquiry/inquiry/investigation undertaken would beryllium void ab initio. Section 17A of the PC Act provides a filter from vexatious litigation.”
"The contiguous script of authorities revenge and governmental vendetta is precisely what Section 17A seeks to restrict by protecting guiltless persons. The initiation of probe without specified support vitiates the full proceedings since inception, and the aforesaid is simply a jurisdictional error," it contended.
