Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Railway Minister of India and Chief Minister of Bihar, not only himself went to jail in the fodder scam, but now the danger of half his family also going to jail has increased. A special court in Delhi has framed charges for trial against Lalu’s wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi, his two sons, former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and former minister Tej Pratap Yadav, and two daughters, MPs Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, in the land-for-jobs scam. Lalu is accused of giving Group D jobs in the Railways in exchange for land registered in the name of his family members when he was the Railway Minister. CBI had registered an FIR in this case in 2022. The court acquitted 52 of the 103 accused, while five died during the proceedings. Trial will be conducted on 46 accused including six members of the Lalu-Rabri family.
The court has framed charges against two sons and two daughters of Lalu and Rabri under sections 120B, 420, and sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. If the charges are proved, the family members will not only go to jail but will also be disqualified from contesting elections for a certain period. The politics of Lalu’s RJD party is currently in the hands of Tejashwi Yadav. Tej Pratap has separated from the Yadav family and has formed his own party JJD. Misa Bharti is a Lok Sabha MP. Rabri Devi is a member of the Legislative Council. Hema Yadav is not involved in politics.
According to Indian law, if someone is sentenced to a prison term of two years or more, he or she is barred from holding parliamentary or legislative office and is barred from contesting elections for six years after completion of the sentence. Lalu’s four children are in politics, and three of them, except Rohini Acharya, have reached the trial stage in the land-for-jobs scam. Now, after the evidence, testimonies and arguments in the court, the accused in this case will either be convicted or acquitted. There is also a possibility of a speedy hearing, which means that the case will not take much time to be decided. The sections under which charges have been framed provide for punishment of more than two years.
In this situation, if during the trial the court finds the allegations against Lalu family true and convicts them and sentences them, it will raise serious questions on the future of Lalu’s party, RJD. If found guilty, Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap and Misa Bharti, members of the second generation of the Lalu-Rabri family, will be ineligible to contest elections for six years after completing their sentences. The political future of RJD, whether willing or not, may fall into the hands of Rohini Acharya, Tejashwi’s wife Rajshree Yadav, or any other daughter of the family. Or, another party leader may emerge. This crisis is a matter of future for RJD, but with the framing of charges, Lalu family and their dynastic politics have come together in the dock.