The court said public employment was used as a bargaining chip by Lalu to secure land via Rabri Devi

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court Friday ordered framing of charges against RJD chief Lalu Prasad and 40 other accused in alleged land-for-jobs scam, observing that there existed “an overarching criminal conspiracy, mentored by Lalu Prasad,” in which he is accused of giving away railway jobs in exchange for land parcels from candidates during his tenure as railway minister from 2004 to 2009. The Rouse Avenue court held that “public employment was being used as a bargaining chip” by Lalu to receive immovable properties through his wife Rabri Devi and daughters. Opening the way for trial in the case, judge Vishal Gogne said Lalu, along with accused family members, appeared “to be operating as a criminal enterprise aimed at usurping private land by bartering away government posts”. Rejecting pleas seeking discharge, the court said such arguments were “completely unwarranted,” particularly when ministry of railways was allegedly being “lorded over as a personal fiefdom.” According to chargesheet filed by CBI, court noted, “land parcels were transferred” either in the name of Rabri Devi or other family members and close associates. The court recorded that several accused general managers of Indian Railways had emerged as having made appointments “by abuse of their discretion,” particularly by engaging Group D substitutes in violation of norms. However, with respect to chief personnel officers, the court held they were liable to be discharged as they “neither possessed the discretion to make such appointments nor were they under the influence” of ministry.