Railway tenders: CBI to grill Lalu Yadav, family next week

New Delhi: The CBI, which is probing the alleged irregularities in awarding tenders for development, maintenance and operation of railway hotels at Ranchi and Puri to a private company, is all set to start questioning of the accused from next week.

The agency had recently registered a case against then railway minister and RJD chief Lalu Yadav his wife Rabri Devi, Bihar deputy chief minister and his son Tejashwi.

Sources said that the agency may send a team of its official to Patna for recording the statement of former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in connection with the case.

“The agency is collecting all relevant documents pertaining to the case from the railway ministry and other concerned agencies. The CBI will start interrogation of the accused, named in the FIR, from next week,” sources said.

The CBI on July 5 registered a corruption case against the RJD chief, his family members, particularly his wife, and his son Tejashwi, Bihar’s deputy chief minister, in connection with the alleged irregularities in tenders allotted to  Sujata Hotels for development, maintenance and operation of two railway hotels BNR Ranchi and Puri. The case dates back to when Mr Yadav was the railway minister in the UPA government.

The agency sleuths also conducted searches at 12 locations in Patna and Ranchi in connection with the case. The raids included the premises of the Yadav family as well as those of his confidant Prem Chand Gupta, whose wife Sarla Gupta is listed as an accused in the FIR. Others named in the FIR included Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing, now known as Lara Projects, and then IRCTC MD P.K. Goel.

There are allegations that Lalu Yadav as railway minister handed over the maintenance of two railway hotels to a company after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a benami company owned by Sarla Gupta.