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A Delhi court on Thursday ordered framing of money laundering charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and six others in the alleged IRCTC scam case. The court also discharged seven accused while rejecting claims of political vendetta

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday ordered framing of money laundering charges against former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and six others in the Enforcement Directorate’s case to the alleged IRCTC scam.

The court had already framed corruption charges against the RJD patriarch and 11 others last October in the CBI case to the alleged scam.

On Thursday, Special Judge Vishal Gogne said there was a “strong suspicion” against seven persons for the offence of money laundering. He also said the nature, timing and course of the investigation did not appear to be inspired by political vendetta, as argued by counsel for the accused.

The judge discharged seven accused in the case.

The CBI FIR alleged that Lalu Prasad, during his tenure as railway minister in UPA-I, handed over the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels to a company in 2004 after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a ‘benami’ company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former Union minister.

The ED registered the criminal case against Prasad’s family members and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on the CBI FIR.

The ED had probed the alleged “proceeds of crime” generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies, according to officials.

Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar and Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels, Delight Marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and then IRCTC managing director P K Goel.

The CBI FIR was registered on July 5, 2018, in connection with alleged favours extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as “quid pro quo”.