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Rabri Devi
A Delhi court on Wednesday sought a response from the CBI on a plea filed by former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi seeking transfer of the IRCTC hotel scam case to a different judge. Principal and Sessions Judge Dinesh Bhatt was hearing the plea of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and issued the notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court, however, refused to stay the ongoing trial proceedings in the CBI case. Earlier on Monday, she moved a plea seeking transfer of the CBI and ED cases registered against her to another court, saying she had a reasonable apprehension that fair and impartial justice would not be rendered. The former Bihar chief minister is named as an accused in four cases, including the land-for-jobs and IRCTC scam case, which are being heard by Special Judge Vishal Gogne. The plea, submitted by Rabri Devi before the Principal District and Sessions Judge submitted, The applicant (Devi) is having a bonafide and reasonable apprehension that f
Former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on Monday moved a plea seeking transfer of the CBI and ED cases registered against her to another court, saying she had a reasonable apprehension that "fair and impartial justice" would not be rendered. Devi is named as an accused in four cases, including the land-for-jobs and IRCTC scam case, which are being heard by Special Judge Vishal Gogne. The plea, submitted before the Principal District and Sessions Judge submitted, "The applicant (Devi) is having a bonafide and reasonable apprehension that fair and impartial justice will not be rendered by the Special Judge and that the conduct of the Special Judge during the proceedings in all cases appears to be unduly inclined towards the prosecution and bias which can be seen from number of instances of the case proceedinds/order". The plea claimed there was "a reasonable apprehension of bias" and that in the interest of justice, the cases needed to be transferred to another court of competent ...
A court here on Monday framed charges against RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar CM Rabri Devi and their son Tejashwi Yadav, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state, in the alleged IRCTC scam case, setting the stage for a trial ahead of polls in Bihar. Special Judge Vishal Gogne framed common charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating against Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav in the case, 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. The court also framed charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Lalu Prasad. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges. A detailed order in the case is awaited. Earlier on September 24, the court had directed all accused persons to appear physically for its order on framing charges. According to the CBI chargesheet, a conspiracy was allegedly hatched between 2004 and 2014 in pursuance of which BNR hotels of t
RJD president Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and their son Tejashvi Yadav on Saturday urged a court here to discharge them in a corruption case connected to purported irregularities in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) between 2004 and 2014. The three made the submissions before special judge Vishal Gogne, claiming that the CBI's case was based on "pick and choose" and the allegations against them were "false". The accused made the submission through senior advocate Maninder Singh during the arguments on the framing of charges in the case. They have been charge-sheeted for various offences, including criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption, that carry a maximum jail term of seven years. The three claimed before the judge that the allegations levelled against them by the CBI were false, selective and motivated, adding that the central probe agency lacked evidence to prosecute them in the case. The hearing in the case will resume on April 21. "Part
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday compared Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife to former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and said she is perhaps preparing to hold the post of her husband. "The madam your are naming is perhaps preparing to hold the post like Rabri Devi did in Bihar," the senior BJP leader told reporters here at the inauguration of the Delhi BJP's election office. The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs was responding to a question about AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita. Earlier in the day, Sunita Kejriwal launched a WhatsApp campaign, urging people to support her husband, who is in ED custody in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case. In a digital media briefing, Sunita Kejriwal said her husband has challenged the "most corrupt and dictatorial forces" in the country and asked people to support him through their blessings and prayers. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in the money-laundering ca
Former Bihar CM Rabri Devi on Monday filed nomination papers for election to the state legislative council, besides three other candidates of her RJD and one of alliance partner CPI(ML) Liberation. Three candidates of the BJP, including former minister and state unit chief Mangal Pandey, also filed their nomination papers. Rabri Devi reached the Vidhan Sabha secretariat along with her husband Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, and sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. The other RJD candidates who filed nomination papers were Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Syed Faisal Ali and Urmila Thakur. CPI(ML) Liberation's Shashi Yadav also filed nomination papers. Tejashwi Yadav, a former Deputy CM and the leader of multi-party Mahagathbandhan, told reporters, "It is a matter of delight that our coalition has fielded three women." While Yadav's mother is seeking re-election to the upper house for a third consecutive term, Siddiqui, a veteran leader, has had a three-year-long stint in the council in th
A Delhi court on Friday granted interim bail to former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav till February 28 in the Railways land-for-job case. Special Judge Vishal Gogne granted relief to the three after the ED claimed that it needed time to file arguments on their regular bail application. The accused appeared before the court in pursuance to the summons issued by the court in the case after taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the ED. During the proceedings, the court asked the ED why it needed the accused's custody when it had not arrested them during its investigation.
A Delhi Court on Saturday summoned former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav along with others after taking cognisance of an Enforcement Directorate charge sheet against them in the railways land-for-jobs linked money laundering case. Special Judge Vishal directed the accused to appear before the court on February 9, saying there were sufficient grounds to proceed in the matter. The judge also issued a production warrant against businessman Amit Katyal, who is presently in judicial custody in the case. An alleged "close associate" of the Yadav family Katyal (49), railway employee and alleged beneficiary Hridayanand Chaudhary, two firms A K Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd., through their common director Shariqul Bari, have also been named in the charge sheet. Katyal was arrested in this case by the ED in November last year while former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was summoned by the agency but is yet to ...
A Delhi court on Wednesday granted bail to RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and their son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the alleged land-for-job scam in the railways. Special Judge Geetanjali Goel granted relief to the accused after they appeared before the court in pursuance of summons issued against them. The court had on September 22 summoned the accused after taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed against them and other accused, saying the evidence prima facie showed commission of various offences, including corruption, criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery. The agency had on July 3 filed a charge sheet in connection with the alleged scam. Prasad is out on bail in this case as well as fodder scam cases. It was the second charge sheet filed by the CBI in the case but the first in which Tejashwi Yadav has been named as an accused. The case pertains to Group-D appointments made in West Central Zone of the railways based in Jabalpur, Madhya
CPI general secretary D Raja met RJD president Lalu Prasad, and held discussions on stepping up the fight against the ruling BJP at the Centre. The CPI leader, who is in Bihar to attend a conference of his party's students' wing AISF, met Prasad on Wednesday at the residence of the latter's wife and former CM Rabri Devi. Talking to reporters, Raja said, "The formation of the coalition INDIA is an important step towards protecting the secular and democratic character of the country, which owes itself to the Constitution but faces threat from the current dispensation". Claiming that the BJP was rattled, fearing a rout in the Lok Sabha polls next year, the CPI leader said more parties may join INDIA in the run-up to the general elections. Raja, who will be in Begusarai on Thursday to attend the national conclave of AISF, said, "The CPI will unite the working class, farmers, women and students to provide the much-needed ballast to the INDIA coalition".