RJD President and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife denied the charges and submitted that they would face trial. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
A Delhi court on Monday (February 16, 2026) formally framed charges against former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and his wife former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi in the alleged land-for-jobs scam case.
Special judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court framed charges of corruption and criminal conspiracy against the two. Mr. Prasad and his wife denied the charges and submitted that they would face trial.
The case stems from an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May 2022, citing alleged irregularities in Group D appointments in Indian Railways between 2004 and 2009. The agency alleged that the recruitments were done in different zones of the railways in exchange for land parcels.
The appointees, who were residents of Patna, themselves or through family members, sold or gifted land to Mr. Prasad, his family members and a private company they controlled. The firm was also involved in the transfer of such immovable properties in the names of Mr. Prasad’s family members, the CBI investigation said.
The chargesheet filed in October 2022 also alleged that no advertisements or public notices were issued for the appointments. The candidates were inducted in different zonal railways located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur and were later regularised by the accused and then general managers of the Indian Railways.
Following the CBI investigation, the Enforcement Directorate started a money-laundering probe in the case and detected alleged “proceeds of crime” worth ₹600 crore.
The court has now fixed the case for prosecution evidence from March 9 to March 28 on a day-to-day basis.
Published – February 16, 2026 10:04 pm IST
