The Supreme Court of India declined to instruct a Delhi trial court to postpone the proceedings concerning the framing of charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad in the alleged land-for-job scam case. In a recent application to the court, Lalu Prasad Yadav requested that the trial court defer proceedings until August 12, coinciding with a scheduled hearing before the Delhi High Court regarding his plea to quash the FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The bench, comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh, refused to issue any directives, stating that the pending petition before the Delhi High Court would not become “infructuous” even if the trial court proceeds to frame charges. They emphasized that the trial court’s proceedings, including the framing of charges, depend on the resolution of the quashing petition awaiting a decision in the Delhi High Court.
Previously, on July 18, the Justice Sundresh-led bench had rejected a request to stay the trial proceedings against Lalu Prasad Yadav, noting that it would not retain the matter for consideration and that the Delhi High Court should address his plea.
Following the Delhi High Court’s dismissal of his request to suspend the trial proceedings based on charge sheets filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Lalu Prasad Yadav submitted a Special Leave Petition (SLP) to the Supreme Court. He contended that no police officer should investigate alleged offences by a public servant related to decisions made in the context of their public duties without prior approval from the appropriate authority. He argued that the FIR’s registration, lacking such approval, rendered all subsequent actions-including the investigation and charge filing-invalid ab initio, meaning null from the outset.
After hearing his arguments, the Delhi High Court allowed Lalu Prasad Yadav to present his case during the charge framing stage, ultimately dismissing his request for a stay on the trial proceedings, prompting him to approach the Supreme Court.
According to the CBI’s case, registered on May 18, 2022, during his tenure as Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009, Lalu Prasad Yadav allegedly acquired financial advantages through the transfer of property to his family members in exchange for appointing substitutes in Group ‘D’ positions across various Railway Zones. People purportedly sold or gifted land to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family and a private company controlled by them.
The CBI stated, “No advertisement or public notice was issued for these appointments; nevertheless, residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in distinct Zonal Railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hajipur.”
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2025/07/30/sc-declines-to-defer-framing-of-charges-against-lalu-prasad-yadav-in-land-for-job-scam/
Category: NATIONAL,News Alert
Tags:
Publish Date: 2025-07-30 17:15:00
