In charge order against Lalu Yadav in PMLA case, a quote from Tagore

The case against former Bihar CM Lalu Yadav pertains to favouring a private company in awarding operation and maintenance contracts for two IRCTC hotels in lieu of prime land in Patna. (File Photo)

A Delhi court on Thursday framed money laundering charges against former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and others in the alleged IRCTC “scam” case. The case pertains to favouring a private company in awarding operation and maintenance contracts for two IRCTC hotels in lieu of prime land in Patna.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court cited Rabindranath Tagore in his order which framed charges against the accused persons.

“Whenever power removes all checks from its path to make its career easy, it triumphantly rides into its ultimate crash of death. Its moral brake becomes slacker every day without its knowing it, and its slippery path of ease becomes its path of doom,” Judge Gogne said quoting the Bengali poet and author.

“Tagore held the moral compass for the Indian Freedom Movement. His word often bestowed cohesion in times of prevarication among the balladeers of freedom. Even after a century across, the pearls of wisdom from the sage, poet and philosopher guide the institutions meant to serve the fruits of generational sacrifice,” said Justice Gogne.

“As a court of criminal jurisdiction and being seized with matters concerning elected representatives, this court finds immense guidance from these prophetic words, even at the preliminary, yet crucial, stage of charge against multiple Members of Parliament, former chief ministers and ministers, who stand arrayed, with others, as accused in the present proceedings,” the Judge said.

According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is investigating the money laundering case, Prasad and IRCTC officials misused their positions to rig the tender process pertaining to two hotels in Ranchi and Puri to Vijay and Vinay Kochhar’s firm, M/s Sujata Hotels Pvt. Ltd. The contracts were allegedly given in exchange of land and company shares to the Yadav family at throwaway prices.

“Since this order decides the aspect of charge which has been considered by the court against the accused, the court must determine whether all checks from the path of power were indeed unhinged by Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav in order to create, use and project as untainted what allegedly was the unearned perk of the path of ease,” said Justice Gogne.

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“Some dubious deals are indeed cut in plain sight, with the public glare serving to camouflage rather to pry. The court would mindfully observe that the Special courts for CBI and PMLA matters, especially for MP/MLA cases, exist precisely to detect such masked and circuitous deals which strike Faustian bargains to trade public trust and assets for personal gain,” he added.

According to the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) which is investigating the predicate offence, there were irregularities in tenders allotted to Sujata Hotels, a private company, for the development, maintenance, and operation of decades-old Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) hotels in Ranchi and Puri. The CBI had alleged that Prasad abused his position and favoured Sujata Hotel that is owned by directors Vinay and Vijay Kochhar.

Justice Gogne also ordered framing of money laundering charges against Lara Projects, Sarla Gupta, Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata Hotels, Vinay Kochhar and Vijay Kochar.

The Judge discharged Rahul Yadav (Lalu’s son-in-law), Gaurav Gupta, Nath Mal Kankarnia, Vijay Tripathi, DN Tulshyan, Rajiv Relan and Abhishek Finance.

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According to the allegations, during Lalu’s tenure as Railway Minister between 2004 to 2009, two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri were given on lease to a company named Sujata Hotels through a manipulated tender process. In return, land worth crores was transferred to a company allegedly linked to Lalu’s wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav at a fraction of its market value.

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.  2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More