Learn Everything About Lalu Prasad Yadav, and His Family’s Role in Alleged Corruption Case Before Bihar Election 2025 News24 –

IRCTC SCAM: The allegations against the former Bihar Chief Minister in the alleged IRCTC scam case, which included his son and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, came as a nasty shock to Lalu Yadav and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. The RJD is now forced to divide its attention between handling the lawsuit (and the expected political attacks) and its election campaign, wherein it is seen as the only party opposing Janata Dal United chief Nitish Kumar’s attempt to extend his continuous 10-year-old tenacious term.

Veteran politician Lalu Yadav and his family are now facing trial on several counts, including criminal conspiracy and cheating, in connection with allegations of corruption in the IRCTC-floated tender scam. Established in 1999, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a public sector organization that offers ticketing, catering, and tourism services to the state-owned railways.

Lalu Prasad Yadav: One Man, Many Scams

When Lalu Yadav was the Chief Minister of undivided Bihar, he was embroiled in a multi-crore fodder scam that involved illicit withdrawals of Rs 950 crore from various government bank accounts. This is, of course, the most recent in a long series of corruption cases and claims against him.

IRCTC Hotels Scam in Puri and Ranchi

The RJD in Bihar was a coalition partner of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government at the center, which was led by the Congress, from 2004 to 2009. Lalu was tasked with overseeing the Ministry of Railways at this time. Sujata Hotels, a Bihar-based company, received an order to lease out two heritage hotels in Puri (Odisha), and Ranchi (Jharkhand), while he was a union minister. “BNR Ranchi” and “BNR Puri” are the two hotels at the heart of the dispute.

Exchange of Land Through a Shell Company

It is alleged that Lalu Yadav had a direct effect on the bidding procedure for maintenance contracts to IRCTC hotels in Ranchi (now in Jharkhand) and Puri during his tenure as Railways Minister from 2004 to 2009. To be more precise, Lalu Yadav is charged with exchanging the contracts for three acres of desirable land in Patna through a shell corporation. The Sujata Hotel, a private company run by brothers Vijay and Vinay Kochar, was chosen as the third party to handle the maintenance contract.

Two Brothers Behind the Scam

The railways made the decision to lease the two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2005. The decision was made to seek a tender for this. The ‘Sujata’ group was then operating the ‘Chanakya’ hotel in Patna, Bihar. Vinay Kochhar and Vijay Kochhar owned the business but lacked the necessary credentials to apply for hotel leases in Puri and Ranchi. The railways, however, had already determined this eligibility.

IRCTC Scam: A 1.47 Crore Deal

The ‘Sujata Hotel’ in this case sold three acres of land in Patna. A company named ‘Delight Marketing’ paid them Rs 1.47 crore for this. Importantly, as soon as the land was sold, Sujata Hotel was qualified to take part in the lease. The Patna-based company was given a 15-year lease in 2006 to operate BNR Ranchi and BNR Puri.

Role of RJD MP Close to Lalu

Three acres of land were purchased from the Sujata Hotel by Delight Marketing, which was owned by RJD MP Prem Chandra Gupta. He filed for bankruptcy within eight years. Prem Chandra sold the Patna land to a business named “Lara Project LLP” in 2014. This earned Rs 64 lakh for the RJD MP, who enjoyed the proximity to the Lalu family.

Tejashwi Yadav-Rabri Devi Connection

CBI sources claim that when the Patna land was being sold, Delight Marketing selected a company that was related to the Lalu family. Their price is far less than the going rate. Later on, the business changed its name to Lara Projects LLP. Also, Tejashwi Yadav and Rabri Devi were listed as the owners of the devalued land. The entire process was finished between the year 2010 and 2014.

CBI Raids and Inquiry

Despite the fact that the Central Bureau of Investigation started investigating in 2006, Lalu Yadav was not charged until July 2017. A dozen sites in Patna, Delhi, Ranchi, and Gurugram that were connected to the RJD founder, and his family were also raided by the agency as part of its inquiry.

What Happened on October 13, 2025?

The Rouse Avenue Court made important remarks during the charge framing in the case on October 13 of this year. “The claims of fraud ought to be handled like any other fraud case. It is impossible to prevent such a conspiracy in court.”

Lalu Yadav Family Charged Under Section 420

At the Rouse Court in Delhi, the defense contended that the contracts were given out equitably, but the CBI asserted that it had enough evidence against all of the accused, including Lalu Yadav. For the record, the Yadav family members have been charged under Sections 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, which address “cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property” and the various penalties for criminal conspiracy. These offenses carry a maximum sentence of seven years to life in prison, along with a fine.

On October 6, the Election Commission of India (ECI) released the timetable for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly elections. On November 6, the 121 seats will go to the first round of voting. Nominations from candidates must be submitted by October 17. The deadline for withdrawing one’s candidacy is October 20. On October 18, there will be a nomination test. On November 11, the second phase of voting will take place in 122 constituencies. The deadline to submit nominations is October 20.