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New Delhi, Nov 26 (IANS) A Delhi court on Wednesday sought response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi’s plea seeking transfer of the IRCTC scam case from the court of special judge Vishal Gogane to another judge.
Principal District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (PC Act) of Rouse Avenue Court issued notice to CBI and directed the agency to file its reply by December 6.
Rabri Devi has filed the application seeking transfer of four cases pending before special judge Gogane – the IRCTC scam case, the cash for jobs case, and related money laundering proceedings being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
However, notice was issued only in the IRCTC scam case on Wednesday, as Principal District and Sessions Judge Dinesh Bhatt found that essential parties were not made parties in the remaining three cases, namely land transfer and transfer petitions related to money laundering cases involving RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and others.
In her petition, Rabri Devi accused special judge Gogane of bias, claiming that his conduct during the hearing had created a “reasonable apprehension of bias” in her mind.
“The conduct of the LD Special Judge on various occasions during the proceedings in all the above mentioned cases appears to be unnecessarily inclined towards prosecution and bias, which can be seen from several instances of case proceedings/orders,” the transfer petition said. It said the apprehension was not based on “speculation or imagination”, but on specific incidents that occurred during the proceedings of the cases.
He has therefore demanded that the cases be transferred “in the interest of justice, equality and fairness”.
On October 13, Judge Gogane had ordered framing of charges under sections 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act in the IRCTC hotel scam case, paving the way for the trial.
According to the CBI, the alleged scam took place between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad was the Union Railway Minister, and involved leasing out IRCTC hotels in Patna in violation of norms in exchange for prime land allegedly transferred to his family members or entities linked to him.
In various cash-for-jobs cases, the CBI claims that individuals seeking Group D posts in the Railways transferred land to Lalu Prasad’s family or benami companies in exchange for employment.
The ED is also prosecuting the family under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for alleged laundering of the proceeds of these transactions.
–IANS
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