Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi face charges in IRCTC hotel case

A Delhi court on Monday framed criminal charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi and their son Tejashwi Yadav in a long-running case alleging irregularities in contracts for two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation hotels. The order by Special Judge Vishal Gogne moves the matter toward trial and applies to actions dating back to the period when Lalu Prasad Yadav served as Union railway minister.

The court directed that Lalu Prasad Yadav face charges including criminal misconduct by a public servant, criminal conspiracy and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav were charged with cheating and criminal conspiracy. All three have pleaded not guilty and the case will proceed to trial, the court record shows.

The Central Bureau of Investigation alleges that between 2004 and 2014 two BNR hotels, in Puri and Ranchi, were transferred to IRCTC and then leased for operation to a private firm, Sujata Hotels Private Limited, following a tender process that the agency says was manipulated to favour that company. The chargesheet names former IRCTC officials V K Asthana and R K Goyal and Sujata Hotels...