New Delhi: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav continued to evade questioning by the CBI. The RJD chief has sought two weeks to appear before the investigating agency for questioning in connection with a case of alleged graft in giving the maintenance contract for two IRCTC hotels to a private firm.
The contracts were given when Mr Yadav was railway minister.
According to sources, Mr Yadav’s lawyer informed the CBI on Monday afternoon that his client would not be able to join the investigation in response to the summons issued on September 22 seeking his presence at the agency’s headquarters here. The agency on September 22 issued fresh summons to Mr Yadav and his son — Tejashwi — to appear before the it on September 25 and 26.
Sources in the CBI said the agency was processing the request and would take a call on future course of action.
The lawyer did not say anything about Tejashwi, who has been asked to appear before the agency in the case on Tuesday, they said. Earlier, they had been called on September 11 and 12. Lalu did not turn up, citing an ongoing court case in Ranchi where his presence was required, while Tejashwi claimed he had political commitments to take care of.
The case pertains to allegations that Mr Lalu Yadav, as the railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two hotels run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, a subsidiary of the Indian railways, in Ranchi and Puri to Sujata Hotel, a company owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, in return for a prime plot of three acres in Patna through a benami company.
The FIR alleged that the RJD leader, as the railway minister, abused his official position for extending undue favours to the Kochhar and acquired a “high value premium land” through a benami firm Delight Marketing Company. As a quid pro quo, he “dishonestly and fraudulently” managed award of leasing of the two hotels.
The CBI has registered the case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, a former Bihar chief minister, son Tejashwi, who was deputy CM until a few months ago, and Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former union minister. Others named as accused in the FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owner of Chanakya Hotel, Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and then IRCTC managing director P K Goel.
