IRCTC case: Delhi HC seeks CBI reply on Tejashwi Yadav plea against charge order

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday (January 6, 2026) directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file its response to a petition by former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav challenging a trial court order framing charges against him in the alleged IRCTC scam case.

The court issued notice after hearing submissions from Mr. Yadav’s counsel, who argued that the framing of charges was “mechanically done” without proper appreciation of evidence and that the allegations were politically motivated and lacked material to sustain charges of criminal conspiracy or corruption.

Mr. Yadav, currently the Leader of the Opposition in Bihar, was named in the CBI’s supplementary chargesheet in 2022.

The case arises from a First Information Report registered by the CBI in 2017 against Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad, his family members, officials of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, and others. The agency has alleged that Mr. Prasad, during his tenure as Union Minister for Railways between 2004 and 2009, entered into a criminal conspiracy with the owners of certain hotels in Patna and Puri, manipulated the tender process and awarded contracts in exchange for bribes in the form of high value land and shares.

The trial court here, while framing charges in October last year, held that Mr. Prasad had abused his position as the then Railway Minister to manipulate eligibility conditions in the tender process and framed charges against him and his family members.

The trial court further observed that Mr. Prasad was fully aware of the alleged scam and had intervened to influence the matter, adding that his actions caused losses to the public exchequer.