Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on Monday pleaded not guilty in the Railways land for job corruption case and said they would contest the charges on merits.
The couple appeared before the Special Central Bureau of Investigation court at Rouse Avenue Court, where they denied charges of corruption, cheating, and criminal conspiracy.
The court recorded their plea and noted their willingness to face trial.
Earlier, on January 29, the trial court had allowed Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and their sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav to appear between February 1 and February 25 for the formal framing of charges. The court directed the accused to give at least one day’s prior intimation before appearing and fixed March 9 as the date for the start of the trial.
In January, Special Judge Vishal Gogne framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members, observing that they were operating as part of a criminal enterprise. The court said the charge sheet prima facie showed that railway jobs were allegedly used as a bargaining tool to secure immovable properties in different parts of the country.
The court rejected pleas seeking discharge, calling them unwarranted. Of the 98 surviving accused, charges have been framed against 46, while 52 have been discharged. Proceedings against five accused have abated due to their deaths.
The case relates to corruption between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad Yadav was Union Railway Minister. The Enforcement Directorate is also probing a money laundering angle linked to land transfers in Patna.