ED Summons Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Prasad In Money Laundering Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and his father, RJD Chief Lalu Prasad, for questioning in the railways land-for-jobs money laundering case. Tejashwi, 34, is required to appear in Delhi on December 22, while Prasad, 75, is summoned for December 27 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Tejashwi was previously questioned for eight hours on April 11, and this marks the first summons for Lalu Prasad in the case. The move follows the ED’s interrogation of Amit Katyal, an alleged close associate of the Prasad family, who was arrested in November.

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The alleged scam dates back to the period when Lalu Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government (2004-2009). It involves the appointment of individuals to Group “D” positions in Indian Railways, who purportedly transferred their land to Prasad’s family and a linked company, A K Infosystems Private Limited.

Amit Katyal, as the director of this company, is said to have acquired land from candidates on behalf of Lalu Prasad. The ED alleges that the company’s registered address, D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, belongs to Lalu Prasad and his family. Other lands were also acquired in return for favors by Lalu Prasad when he was the railway minister.

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The ED case, stemming from a CBI complaint, involves criminal sections of the PMLA. The CBI contends that appointments were made without public notice, and in return, candidates sold land to Prasad’s family at highly discounted rates. Over the past months, the ED has recorded statements from Lalu Prasad’s wife, Rabri Devi, and their daughters Misa Bharti, Chanda Yadav, and Ragini Yadav in connection with the case.