The CBI on Tuesday issued fresh summons – third in this month – to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav in the ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in IRCTC hotels' contract case.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) asked both to visit its headquarters on Lodhi Road in south Delhi on 3 and 4 October, respectively, to join investigation in the case, an official said.
The CBI's latest move comes after Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi skipped two earlier summons.
On 22 September, the CBI issued summons to the two Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders for 25 and 26 September, respectively, for questioning, but they, by a written letter through their advocates, sought two weeks' time.
The CBI had summoned the former Bihar Chief Minister and son Tejashwi, who is a former Deputy Chief Minister, on 7 September as well for questioning on 11 and 12 September.
The CBI had, on 5 July, filed a corruption case against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav for alleged irregularities in the allotment of contracts for Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels at Ranchi and Puri in 2006 to a private company when Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.
The contracts were allegedly handed over to Sujata Hotels company owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochhar in lieu of a bribe in the form of a plot of prime land in Bihar, the CBI said.
According to the CBI, Lalu Prasad allegedly granted illegal favours to Sujata Hotels.
The CBI, which registered the case under charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and the Prevention of Corruption Act, claimed that the kickbacks were paid through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of RJD MP Prem Chand Gupta.
(This was first published on IANS)
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