In a major blow to the RJD ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday formally framed corruption, criminal conspiracy, and cheating charges against party supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in the IRCTC scam case. Alongside him, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav have also been charged with multiple offences, intensifying the political storm around the family.

The case revolves around alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for the maintenance of two IRCTC hotels during Lalu Yadav’s tenure as Union Railway Minister. The charges include cheating under Section 420 of the IPC and criminal conspiracy under Section 120B. In Lalu’s case, additional charges under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act have also been framed, pointing to alleged misconduct by a public servant. The court noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had provided a detailed chain of evidence supporting these claims.

All three key accused denied wrongdoing. Rabri Devi termed the charges as “false” and vowed to fight them legally, while Tejashwi Yadav insisted, “We reject all allegations and are ready to face trial.”

The court observed that Lalu Prasad Yadav was aware of the alleged conspiracy and that his family had reportedly received undue benefits, including land acquired at below-market rates in exchange for favours in awarding IRCTC contracts.

While the IRCTC case is set to see day-to-day hearings starting October 27, the separate Land-for-Job case, which alleges that people were given Group D jobs in exchange for transferring land to Lalu family members during his tenure from 2004 to 2009, will be heard from November 10.