Land-for-job case: CBI team at former Bihar CM Rabri Devi’s residence

Officials of the central bureau of investigation (CBI) reached the residence of former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on Monday in connection with land for job case.

An official familiar with the matter said the CBI officials were quizzing former chief minister at her residence in the state capital with the alleged land for job case.

People aware of the matter said the CBI officials arrived at her residence on four separate vehicles around 9:30am.

Meanwhile, heavy security has been deployed outside the former chief minister’s home in Patna.

Notably, the questioning comes a week after a Delhi court on February 27 issued summons to her husband and RJD chief and former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and daughter Misa Bharti along with 14 others in the case to appear before court on March 15.

Special judge Geetanjali Goel directed the accused persons to appear before the court on March 15.

RJD leader Bhai Birendra expressed his disappointment over the questioning.

“They are afraid of losing and using agency. They will get nothing,” said Birendra.

In July 2022, the CBI arrested Bhola Yadav, who used to be the officer on special duty (OSD) to Lalu Prasad when he was the railway minister.

The chargesheet was filed on October 10, 2022, for offences of criminal conspiracy and corruption against 17 accused persons.

The alleged case dates back to 2005-06 when RJD chief and Devi’s husband Lalu Prasad was the railway minister in the Congress-led UPA government.

The alleged scam occurred between 2004 and 2009 when Lalu Yadav was the railway minister. Apart from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, the chargesheet also includes the name of the then Railway General Manager.

The CBI had stated that the investigation had revealed that the candidates were considered for their engagement without any need for substitutes and there was no urgency for their appointment which was one of the main criteria behind the engagement of substitutes and they joined their duties much later from the approval of their appointment and they were subsequently regularised.

There were several anomalies found in the applications of the candidates and the documents that were enclosed due to which the applications should not have been processed and their engagement should not have been approved but it was done.

Further, in most of the cases, the candidates joined their jobs in their respective divisions on many later dates which defeated the purpose of appointment of substitutes and in some cases, the candidates could not clear their medical examination under the required category to which their engagement was made and subsequently, they were considered and appointed on the posts where inferior/lower medical category was required, said the CBI.