Land-for-Job case: CBI searches going on inside Rabri Devi's residence in Patna

Rabri Devi was one of the accused in the land-for-job case in which the CBI filed an FIR accusing her spouse and former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav of resorting to irregularities during his stint as the Railway Minister. A 12-member CBI team is conducting searches inside Rabri's house in Patna.

Patna (Bihar): Once again, the CBI began searches at former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi's residence in Patna here on Monday. A 12-member official team has been conducting these raids and searches are going on inside Rabri's house since morning in collection with the alleged land-for-job scam, sources said. Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court had already sent a notice for this raid.

The case pertains to the accusations that during his stint as the Railway Minister, Rabri Devi's spouse Lalu Prasad Yadav was accused of giving jobs in exchange for land. This matter is regarding 2004 to 2009, when Lalu was the Union Railway Minister. In this case, a charge sheet has been filed against Lalu Yadav as well as his wife Rabri Devi, his two daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav and 12 others.

According to the CBI's allegation, when Lalu Yadav was the Railway Minister, large-scale irregularities were done in giving railway jobs. The CBI has filed an FIR in the entire matter. According to that FIR, the names of those who got jobs in exchange for land in railways are Rajkumar, Mithilesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Sanjay Rai, Dharmendra Rai, Ravindra Rai, Abhishek Kumar, Dilchand Kumar, Premchand Kumar, Lalchand Kumar, Hridanand Chowdhary and Pintu Kumar.

In all these transactions, the ownership rights of the lands were allegedly transferred in the name of Lalu's wife Rabri and daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav and along with this, cash in lakhs was also allegedly given to the accused. About twelve people are named in the CBI chargesheet as having got government jobs by the wrong means.

Recently, a Delhi court issued a summons against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and 14 others in connection with the job scam. The Lalu family has accused the Central agencies of framing them at the behest of their political masters. Rabri Devi has asserted that the ruling BJP at the centre was afraid of Lalu Yadav which is why they are sending the Central agencies after them.