NEW DELHI,9 June (H.S.): The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday once again deferred its decision on the framing of charges in the money laundering case linked to the alleged Railway Tender Scam. The court had earlier postponed its order on May 6 and May 22. Special Judge Vishal Gogne has now directed that the order will be pronounced on July 16.

The court had reserved its order on February 13. Earlier, on January 28, 2019, the court granted regular bail to Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav in the case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). They were granted bail on personal bonds of ₹1 lakh each. Prior to that, on January 19, 2019, the court had granted regular bail to Lalu Prasad Yadav in the case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

On October 13, 2025, the court ordered the framing of charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and other accused in the CBI-related case concerning the Railway Tender Scam.

The court had taken cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate on September 17, 2018. The accused named in the case include Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, M/s Lara Projects LLP, Sarla Gupta, Prem Chand Gupta, Gaurav Gupta, Nath Mal Kakrania, Rahul Yadav, Vijay Tripathi, Devki Nandan Tulsyan, M/s Sujata Hotels, Vinay Kochar, Vijay Kochar, Rajiv Kumar Relan and M/s Abhishek Finance Private Limited.

Lalu Prasad Yadav has been accused of transferring the operational rights of two railway hotels to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) during his tenure as Railway Minister and subsequently issuing tenders for their maintenance and management. It is alleged that the contracts for two hotels located in Ranchi and Puri were awarded to Sujata Hotels, a company owned by the Kochar brothers.

The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the alleged financial transactions and the purported laundering of proceeds linked to the railway hotel tender allotment process. The matter remains under judicial consideration, with the court expected to decide on the framing of charges next month.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar