New Delhi, Jan 18 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court is set to deliberate on Monday regarding the appeals submitted by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family, contesting a trial court's ruling that mandated the establishment of criminal charges against them in the purported IRCTC hotel scam case.

According to the schedule released on the official portal of the Delhi High Court, these cases are slated for review by a single-judge Bench led by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on January 19.

The criminal revision petitions have been initiated by Lalu Prasad Yadav, his spouse Rabri Devi, and their son Tejashwi Yadav, challenging the trial court's decision to frame charges concerning offenses linked to corruption, criminal conspiracy, and cheating related to the IRCTC hotel scam.

Previously, the Delhi High Court had issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding these criminal revision petitions and the request for a stay on trial court proceedings made by Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav.

While issuing the notice, Justice Sharma remarked that the petitions should be heard concurrently with the criminal petition submitted by Lalu Prasad Yadav.

In her application, Rabri Devi argued that the trial court, without adequately reviewing the evidence, incorrectly framed charges against her solely based on assumptions.

Tejashwi Yadav has also questioned the validity and accuracy of the trial court’s order in his petition, asserting that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case justifying the framing of charges.

On October 13, 2025, Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts authorized the trial of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, and others under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), alongside provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, after they pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

The special court had reserved its ruling on May 29 following extensive discussions regarding the charge framing against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family, Prem Gupta, Sarla Gupta, and railway officials Rakesh Saksena and P.K. Goyal.

The alleged scam took place from 2004 to 2009, during which Lalu Prasad Yadav held the position of Railway Minister.

During his term, two IRCTC hotels were reportedly leased without adhering to the stipulated regulations. One of these hotels was allocated to Sarla Gupta, the spouse of Prem Gupta, a close ally of the RJD leader and a Rajya Sabha MP at that time.

The prosecution claims that the RJD chief acquired three acres of prime land through a benami enterprise.

Lalu Prasad Yadav maintains that he acted without any irregularities, asserting that the tenders were allocated in a fair and transparent manner and has sought his exoneration from the case.