Did Delhi HC Issue Notice on Tejashwi Yadav's Plea Against IRCTC Hotel Scam Charges?
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New Delhi, Jan 6 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding a petition from Tejashwi Yadav, a prominent leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar. He is contesting a lower court's ruling that mandated the framing of criminal charges against him and his family in the alleged IRCTC hotel scam case.
During a brief hearing, a single-judge bench led by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma requested the CBI's response and issued notice on Tejashwi Yadav's petition for criminal revision, along with a plea for a stay on the trial court's activities.
Senior attorneys Kapil Sibal and Maninder Singh, representing Tejashwi Yadav, informed the court that a similar petition from his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the RJD chief, is scheduled for a hearing on January 14.
Justice Sharma acknowledged this and ordered that Tejashwi Yadav's case be heard concurrently on the same date.
Tejashwi Yadav's petition challenges the Rouse Avenue Court's decision that found adequate grounds to prosecute him and others for offenses linked to corruption, criminal conspiracy, and cheating associated with the IRCTC scam.
In a ruling from October 13, 2025, Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts allowed the trial of Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav, and other co-accused under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, following their not guilty pleas.
The special court had reserved its decision on May 29 after extensive arguments concerning the framing of charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family, Prem Gupta, Sarla Gupta, and Railway officials Rakesh Saksena and P.K. Goyal.
The purported scam occurred between 2004 and 2009, during Lalu Prasad Yadav's tenure as Railway Minister. It is alleged that two IRCTC hotels were leased without adhering to established norms. One hotel was reportedly assigned to Sarla Gupta, the wife of Prem Gupta, who was a close associate of the RJD leader and a Rajya Sabha MP at the time. The prosecution claims that Lalu Prasad Yadav acquired three acres of prime land through a benami company. Lalu Prasad Yadav has asserted that there were no irregularities in his actions, stating that the tenders were awarded in a fair and transparent manner, and he has sought to be discharged from the case.