IRCTC Scam: Delhi Court Seeks CBI Response on Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi’s Plea for More Time to Prepare
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts for the maintenance of two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels in Ranchi and Puri during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as Union Railway Minister
A Delhi Court on Monday sought a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, and M/s Lara Projects sought four weeks’ time to prepare for the examination of witnesses in the alleged IRCTC scam case.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts for the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as Union Railway Minister. Earlier, the court had framed charges against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and others under Sections of the IPC for cheating and criminal conspiracy, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Court had scheduled the case for the examination of prosecution witnesses from October 27 to November 7, directing that evidence be recorded on a day-to-day basis.
During Monday’s hearing, Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court noted that Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, and Lara Projects had moved an application seeking four weeks to prepare for cross-examination of the witnesses who had been summoned.
“It is also prayed in the application that the matter may thereafter be listed only once a week,” Judge Gogne recorded, adding that several co-accused had also requested adjournments.
The Court observed that the core argument of the defence was that the time between the framing of charges and the commencement of evidence was too short for effective preparation. The defence contended that it needed to study the order on charge in detail before beginning cross-examinations.
The CBI, however, opposed the adjournment, urging the court to proceed with the examination of witnesses as scheduled.
Judge Gogne said, “The court deems it appropriate that a copy of these applications be provided to the CBI, which is at liberty to file a reply.”
For the present, the Court noted that since some witnesses from outside Delhi were already present, an effort should be made to examine them in chief.
Notably, in July the Court deferred its order till August 5 on whether to frame charges against RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his The Court had reserved its order on May 29 after hearing detailed arguments on charge. "In continuation of the previous bulk listing of the present matter from 28.02.2025 to 07.03.2025; 22.03.2025 to 29.03.2025, 21.04.2025 to 26.04.2025 and from 07.05.2025 to 21.05.2025, the matter is again listed today," the Court had noted on May 29.
Besides the Yadav family, the charge sheet names former IRCTC officials V K Asthana and R K Goyal; directors of Sujata Hotels, Vijay and Vinay Kochhar; and corporate entities Delight Marketing Company (now Lara Projects) and Sujata Hotels as accused.
Pertinently, in March 2023, the Delhi Court had granted bail to to former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misa Bharti and others in connection with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Case Title: CBI Vs. Lalu Prasad Yadav & Ors.
Order Date: October 27, 2025
Bench: Special Judge Vishal Gogne