September 9, 2025

The drama heats up in the land-for-jobs scam! On Monday, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav marched into the Delhi High Court, demanding the CBI FIR in the case be thrown out. Why? Because, according to him, the FIR was slapped without the required green signal — the mandatory sanction under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. Lalu's top lawyer, Kapil Sibal, told Justice Ravinder Dudeja, "CBI registered the FIR without mandatory sanction under the PC Act. That makes the entire investigation illegal. In the absence of the sanction, the investigation could not have begun. Entire proceedings are wrong." He underlined that since Lalu was the Railway Minister during the time, sanction was a must before kicking off any probe. "We are challenging lack of sanction. They could not have initiated the FIR. Investigation cannot start. We are only interested in setting aside the RC," Sibal added boldly. But the CBI was not ready to sit quietly. Their counsel accused Lalu of dragging his feet on finishing his defense at the trial court, saying, "Arguments will be complete tomorrow before trial court. On purpose they’re not completing their arguments before trial court." The tension is palpable as the judge pointed out that even if the lack of sanction had a point, it applies only to offenses under the PC Act, not the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Mark your calendars! The hectic hearing will continue on September 25. Here's the juicy backstory: This scandal involves shady Group D job appointments in the West Central Zone of Indian Railways, headquartered in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The hitch? These appointments, made between 2004 and 2009 while Lalu was Railway Minister, allegedly came as a bribe, where recruits handed over land parcels to Lalu’s family or close associates. The FIR was lodged on May 18, 2022, naming Lalu, his wife, two daughters, unidentified public officials, and private players as accused. Lalu, feeling cornered after nearly 14 years, slammed the FIR as suspicious. The petition said, "Initiation of the fresh investigation in the concealment of the previous investigations and its closure reports is nothing but an abuse of the process of law." He claimed the probe is a setup, an "illegal, motivated investigation" attacking his right to a fair trial. Calling the whole thing "regime revenge and political vendetta," Lalu stressed that starting an investigation without proper approval is a serious "jurisdictional error" that spoils the entire case. The courtroom battle is heating up, and this legal thriller promises more twists ahead!

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Tags: Lalu prasad yadav, Cbi fir, Land-for-jobs scam, Prevention of corruption act, Delhi high court, Railways minister,