New Delhi : The Rouse Avenue court, on Saturday, deferred its decision on the interim bail plea of businessman Amit Katyal, currently under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the land-for-a-job money laundering case. Katyal had sought interim bail citing medical reasons.
Special Judge Vishal Gogne reserved the order after considering arguments presented by senior advocate Vikas Pahwa on behalf of Amit Katyal. The plea faced opposition from ED's Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain, along with advocate Manish Jain.
The court is scheduled to announce its decision on the plea on February 5.
The Enforcement Directorate filed a Prosecution Complaint (PC) on January 8, invoking the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, against Amit Katyal, Rabri Devi, Misha Bharti, Hema Yadav, Hridyanand Chaudhary, and two companies—AK Infosystems Private Limited and AB Exports Pvt. Ltd. This filing took place before the Rouse Avenue court, which acknowledged the PC on January 27, issuing notices for the accused to appear on February 9 for further proceedings.
The ED initiated its probe based on a CBI FIR related to the Land-for-Job Scam, accusing Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then Railway Minister, of corruption in the appointment of Group D substitutes in Indian Railways from 2004 to 2009. As per the FIR, candidates were allegedly coerced to transfer land as bribes in exchange for jobs in Indian Railways. The CBI had previously filed a charge sheet in this regard.
According to the ED, family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, namely Rabri Devi, Misha Bharti, and Hema Yadav, who are implicated in the PC, received land parcels from selected candidates for nominal amounts. Another accused, Hridyanand Chaudhary, a former employee in the gaushala of Rabri Devi, acquired property from one of the candidates and subsequently transferred it to Hema Yadav.
The companies AK Infosystems Private Limited and AB Exports Pvt. Ltd. are alleged to be shell companies that received the proceeds of crime for the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, as per the ED's statement. The agency claims that these companies acquired immovable properties through front men, with shares later transferred to family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav for nominal sums. Amit Katyal is accused of managing these companies for Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family.
In previous operations conducted by the ED on March 10, 2023, cash amounting to approximately Rs 1 Crore and valuables worth about Rs 1.25 Crore were seized. The ED provisionally attached immovable properties valued at Rs. 6.02 Crore on July 29, 2023. Amit Katyal was arrested on November 11, 2023, on charges of knowingly assisting Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family in money laundering, the statement added.
—Input from Agencies.