On Monday, the Delhi High Court declined to immediately stay trial court proceedings against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with the IRCTC hotels case.
A bench led by Justice Kanta Sharma rejected the plea for an interim stay, noting that the trial court had framed charges in October and that the petition seeking to quash the order was filed only in January.
However, the court issued notice on Lalu Prasad’s plea challenging the October 13 order and listed the matter for further hearing on January 14.
Lalu Prasad’s counsel argued that the trial court was proceeding with day-to-day hearings and had already examined two witnesses within a month. The high court, however, observed that there was no justification for an immediate halt to the proceedings.
Background: IRCTC hotels case
On October 13, a special CBI court framed charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating against Lalu Prasad, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, and their son and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav.
The court described Lalu as the “fountainhead of a criminal conspiracy” and held that there was prima facie material to show he abused his position as railway minister to manipulate the tender process.
The CBI alleges that during Lalu Prasad’s tenure as Union railway minister, tenders for leasing IRCTC-run BNR hotels in Ranchi and Puri were rigged in favour of a private firm in exchange for land and company shares transferred to his family at throwaway prices.
 supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with the IRCTC hotels case. ){kind=link}