Supreme Court grants Lalu Yadav relief from court appearance in land-for-jobs scam, but trial court proceedings will continue. High Court asked to deliver verdict soon.
Lalu Land job Case: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has received partial relief from the Supreme Court in the land-for-jobs scam, but he has also suffered another setback. The Supreme Court has clarified that there will be no stay on the proceedings of the trial court. However, Lalu Yadav has been exempted from appearing in court personally for the time being.
What was the Supreme Court's stance?
A two-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Justice N. Koteshwar Singh, dismissed the petition to stay the trial court proceedings. During this time, the bench directed the Delhi High Court to hear the matter on a priority basis and deliver a decision soon. The Court clearly stated that the trial court proceedings would continue and there would be no obstruction to it.
Relief from Personal Appearance
Amidst this decision, the Supreme Court has ordered that Lalu Yadav be exempted from appearing personally in the trial court. This means that he will not be required to be physically present at every hearing of the court for the time being. This relief has been granted keeping in mind his age and health.
What is the case?
This case pertains to the period between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Railway Minister in the central government. The CBI, in its investigation, found that there were gross irregularities in the recruitment of Group D employees in West Central Railway Zone, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) during this period.
The CBI alleges that in exchange for these recruitments, land was transferred from the candidates in the name of Lalu Yadav and his family members. According to the CBI, the market value of these lands was also recorded as low. That is, land was taken from those who got jobs, but they were not given fair value in return.
CBI's FIR and Lalu's Petition
The CBI had registered an FIR against Lalu Yadav and his family members in this matter. Lalu Yadav had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of this FIR. The High Court, in a hearing held on May 29, had said that there was no need to stay the trial court proceedings. Now the High Court has sent a notice to the CBI and fixed August 12 as the next date of hearing in the matter.
What to expect from the High Court?
The Supreme Court has expected the High Court to complete the hearing of this matter expeditiously. This direction has been given so that there is no unnecessary delay in the matter and the justice process can be expedited. Meanwhile, the trial court proceedings will continue normally.
