The court directs ED to file a charge sheet in land for job scam

In a money laundering case pertaining to the suspected land for job scam in the Indian Railways involving RJD chairman Lalu Prasad and some of his family members, a Delhi court instructed the ED to produce any supplemental charge sheet by June 7. Regarding the investigation's conclusion, Special Judge Vishal Gogne stated that he had asked the ED many times over the course of the proceedings over the last few months.

The judge observed that the ED's attorneys have said on many occasions that the inquiry is progressing and should be finished shortly. He said that the ED had been instructed by the court in an order issued on April 12 to work towards concluding any outstanding investigations within two weeks.

The judge noted that as of the present date, no additional supplementary complaint (ED's version of a charge sheet) has been submitted. They emphasised that the court is obligated to accelerate all cases involving MPs and MLAs as per the directives of the Supreme Court. The judge remarked that the accusations against all the defendants, whether formally forwarded or not, consist of a series of interconnected facts and transactions related to alleged money laundering.

The judge further stated that due to the absence of the additional or supplementary complaint, the court cannot form a comprehensive understanding of the allegations and proceed with expediting the trial. They highlighted that both the investigating agencies and the trial process are subject to the aforementioned directives, as the trial cannot advance without the completion of the investigation. Consequently, the ED has been instructed to ensure that any further supplementary complaint is filed by the upcoming court date.

On May 29, the judge chastised the CBI for taking so long to provide a "conclusive charge sheet" about the purported land-for-job fraud involving Lalu Prasad and his relatives in the Indian Railways. The judge ordered the investigation agency to submit the final report by June 7 after expressing dissatisfaction with the CBI's request for further time "on every date" to file the charge sheet.

In March, the CBI submitted an additional charge sheet against three individuals: two candidates, Ashok Kumar and Babita, and Bhola Yadav, who served as Lalu Prasad's personal secretary while he was the minister of railways. On February 28, the court released Prasad's spouse, Rabri Devi, the former chief minister of Bihar, together with their daughters.

The CBI has alleged that several people were appointed to Group "D" positions in various zones of the Indian Railways from 2004 to 2009 in return for land parcels they sold at heavily discounted rates to the family members of Prasad, who was the railway minister in the UPA I government. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also probing the case over alleged money laundering.

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