IRCTC case: Patiala Court grants regular bail to Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi

In a major relief for former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and his family, the Patiala House Court on Monday granted regular bail to the accused in in a money laundering case against them. The case is part of the bigger IRCTC scam. Earlier on January 19, the RJD chief was granted bail by a Delhi court in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam case filed by the CBI. The bail comes while the 70-year-old is serving sentences in fodder scam cases, is currently admitted at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science in Ranchi for treatment. Prasad was earlier granted interim bail in the matter. Prasad's wife Rabri Devi and son Tejaswi Yadav were also earlier granted bail in the case.

The Monday’s order comes after the court had extended the interim bail of Prasad, Devi, Tejaswi and others till today in a separate case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged money laundering in the scam. The cases relate to alleged irregularities in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm.

According to the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar.

It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party - Sujata Hotels. Based on the CBI case, the ED also lodged a case of money laundering against Prasad, Devi, Yadav and others.

According to the charge sheet filed by CBI, between 2004 and 2014, a conspiracy was hatched in pursuance of which BNR hotels of the Indian Railways, located in Puri and Ranchi, were first transferred to IRCTC and later, for its operations, maintenance and upkeep, given on lease to Sujata Hotels Private Limited, which is based in Patna, Bihar.

It is alleged that the tender process was rigged and manipulated and the conditions were tweaked to help the private party - Sujata Hotels.

The RJD chief has been serving sentence in Ranchi jail since December 2017 following his conviction in fodder scam cases. Earlier this month, the Jharkhand High court had rejected the bail plea of Prasad in three fodder scam cases.

(With inputs from PTI)