Historic courtroom moment in Delhi as charges get framed against Bihar’s powerful Yadav trio – Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav – in the multi-crore Land for Jobs scam. Simultaneously, 52 others breathe easy after court discharge, significantly altering trial dynamics.
Chronology traces back to Lalu’s railway ministry days when Bihar witnessed frenzied land transactions favoring his family trusts. CBI-ED chargesheets detail modus operandi: land donors securing instant railway jobs for relatives, circumventing selection boards and reservation quotas.
Most damning evidences involve Patna’s prime real estate – plots adjacent to airport runway, highway corridors, commercial hubs – mysteriously landing in family possession. Transaction values defied market realities, triggering predicate offence investigations.
Rouse Avenue Judge Geetanjali Verma navigated complex legal matrix, balancing prosecution zeal with judicial caution. Charges invoked include Section 420 IPC (cheating), corruption act violations, conspiracy provisions – arsenal potent enough for decade-plus imprisonment if proven.
Political temperature soars in poll-bound Bihar. Mahagathbandhan faces renewed corruption offensive precisely when consolidating anti-incumbency against NDA. Tejashwi’s ‘Pucca Niyojan’ employment rhetoric acquires ironic undertones amid job-scam charges.
Acquitted 52 include railway clerks, land brokers, minor officials whose roles appeared procedural rather than conspiratorial. This judicial pruning enhances trial focus, potentially accelerating resolution timelines.
Lalu family battle-hardened from fodder scam wars, approaches with seasoned defense strategy. Multiple bail applications, medical interludes, superior court stays form familiar playbook. Yet stakes never higher given generational leadership transition underway.
National conversation reignites around political corruption archetypes – family trusts masking benami holdings, ministry tenures converting into personal realty empires, public jobs auctioned like commodities.
Land for Jobs saga underscores CBI-ED resurgence post-2014, demonstrating institutional autonomy confronting entrenched political interests. Trial trajectory will test not just legal merits but also electoral resilience of India’s regional satraps.
As advocates prepare opening statements, Bihar watches breathlessly. Verdict’s ripples guaranteed beyond courtrooms into ballot boxes come 2025.