CBI Court Frames Charges Against Lalu Prasad Yadav, His Family and Others in IRCTC Case

Patna, 13 October 2025: A CBI Court has today framed charges against all 14 accused in the IRCTC case, including Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav, Smt. Rabri Devi, Shri Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Shri Prem Chand Gupta and his wife Sarla Gupta, IRCTC officials, the Kochhar brothers, and others.

The CBI had registered the case on 5 July 2017, alleging that while serving as Railway Minister, Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav entered into a criminal conspiracy with Vijay Kochhar and Vinay Kochhar of M/s Sujata Hotel Private Limited (owners of Hotel Chanakya, Patna) and others for awarding contracts to lease existing Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) Hotels located at Ranchi and Puri.

According to the CBI, Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav abused his official position and, in connivance with IRCTC officers, extended undue favour to SHPL in exchange for extraneous benefits. The case further alleges that a prime land in Patna was sold by the Kochhar brothers to a company controlled by Shri Prem Chand Gupta, a close aide of Lalu Prasad Yadav. This company, along with the land, was later taken over by Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family, including Smt. Rabri Devi and Shri Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, at a throwaway price.

The alleged corruption took place in this way

• The tender process was rigged to ensure that Sujata Hotels received the contract. In return, the land was given to a shell company linked to the Lalu family at a very low price.
• According to the CBI, IRCTC gave railway land at a cheap rate for the Radisson Hotel project in Ranchi, while the circle rate of that land was ₹32 crore and the market price was ₹94 crore, but it was transferred for just ₹65 lakh.
• It is alleged that land or property was taken in exchange for contracts and appointments in the Railways, which was called the “land-for-job model”.

The property was purchased in the name of M/s Delight Marketing Company Private Limited (DMCPL), now LARA Projects LLP, controlled by Prem Chand Gupta, and was allegedly held for the benefit of Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family.

Following the investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members, Prem Chand Gupta, and 10 others. The Court has now scheduled the prosecution evidence phase from 27 October 2025 to 7 November 2025, to be conducted on a day-to-day basis.