IRCTC Scam: Delhi HC Asks CBI to Reply to Tejashwi Yadav's Plea
6 Jan 2026 2:28 PM IST6 Jan 2026 2:28 PM IST
The high court had on January 5 issued notice and sought the CBI's reply on a plea by Lalu Yadav challenging framing of charges against him in the case
Delhi High Court (File Photo)
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response of the CBI on a plea by Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav challenging an order framing charges against him in the alleged IRCTC scam case.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tejashwi's petition and stay application, and listed the matter for further hearing on January 14, when his father Lalu Prasad Yadav's similar plea will also be heard.
The high court had on January 5 issued notice and sought the CBI's reply on a plea by Lalu Yadav challenging framing of charges against him in the case. The court, however, refused to stay the trial court proceedings at this stage without going through the CBI's response.
Meanwhile, Justice Sharma recused from hearing a similar petition by co-accused Bhola Yadav, former officer on special duty (OSD) to Lalu, and listed it for hearing before another bench on January 8.
On October 13, 2025, the trial court had framed charges against the accused persons -- Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and 11 others -- in the case for the alleged offences of cheating, criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and Lalu Yadav, the former union railway minister, have approached the high court assailing the trial court's order, which stems from alleged irregularities in the grant of operational contracts of two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels to a private firm.
According to the CBI chargesheet, a conspiracy was allegedly hatched between 2004 and 2014 in pursuance of which BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar.
The agency alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help Sujata Hotels, a private entity.
The chargesheet also named the group general managers of IRCTC V K Asthana and R K Goyal, as well as Vijay Kochhar and Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owners of Chanakya Hotel.
Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and Sujata Hotels Private Limited have also been named as accused firms in the chargesheet.
The trial court had made a scathing observation that the land and share transactions in the case were "possibly an instance of crony capitalism fostered in the garb of eliciting private participation in the Railways' hotels at Ranchi and Puri."
Besides Lalu Yadav, the court had framed charges against Pradeep Kumar Goel, Rakesh Saksena, Bhupendra Kumar Agarwal, Rakesh Kumar Gogia and Vinod Kumar Asthana under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d)(ii) and (iii) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.
Section 13 (2) deals with the punishment for criminal misconduct by a public servant, and Section 13(1)(d)(ii) and (iii) with abuse of position by a public servant to obtain favours.
The court had also directed that the charge be framed under IPC section 420 (cheating) against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi, M/s Lara Projects LLP, Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, Sarla Gupta, and Prem Chand Gupta.
"A common charge is directed to be framed against all (14) accused under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) IPC read with section 420 IPC and section 13(2) read with section 13(1)(d)(ii) and (iii) PC Act," the court had said.
The maximum punishment under the PC Act is 10 years, while for cheating is seven years.
( Source : PTI )
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