Court summons to Lalu, Rabri, Tejashwi in IRCTC case

A city court on Monday issued summons to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi Yadav and others in connection with the 2006 IRCTC hotels maintenance contract case.

The case relates to alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts of two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006 to a private firm involving a bribe in the form of a three-acre commercial plot at a prime location in Patna district.

After taking cognisance of the charge sheet, Special Judge Arvind Kumar asked them to appear in court on August 31.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April filed the charge sheet in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels maintenance contract case against 12 people and two companies.

Among those named in the chargesheet were Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, his son and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, former Managing Director of IRCTC P.K. Goel, Sujata Hotels directors Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, Sarala Gupta -- wife of Prem Chand Gupta, RJD MP.

The CBI charge sheet also named Additional Member of the Railway Board B.K. Agarwal, who was then Group General Manager (GGM) of the IRCTC.

The central probe agency also named former GGM of IRCTC V.K. Asthana, R.K. Gogia -- then GGM (company secretary) of IRCTC, Ramesh Saxena -- then IRCTC Director, and Sujata Hotels Pvt Ltd.- IANS