Delhi Court Dismisses Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi’s Petition

March 19, 2026

New Delhi: A Delhi court has dismissed petitions filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and other accused seeking the production of unreleased documents in the alleged railway land-for-jobs scam.

Rouse Avenue Court Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogane dismissed three separate petitions filed by Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, former officials R.K. Mahajan, and Maheep Kapoor under Section 91 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The court said the demand was “invalid” and against the procedure of a criminal trial.

The court said—This will affect the trial
The court stated that unrelied documents are not the accused’s right and can only be sought at the appropriate stage of the trial, usually when the defense presents evidence.

The court stated, “Providing unrelied documents is not an incomplete function of Section 207 CrPC, but rather a discretionary power of the court, which can only be exercised at the appropriate time.”

The court also clarified that the accused have received a list of these documents, but it is not appropriate to demand all the documents without proving their necessity and relevance.

Rejecting the petitions filed by Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi seeking 1,675 unrelied documents, the court stated that this would disrupt the trial process and could complicate the case.

The case is related to the Land-for-Jobs case
The court dismissed all three petitions, stating that no special circumstances arise that deviate from the law.

The case involves allegations that Lalu Prasad Yadav, while serving as Railway Minister between 2004 and 2009, misused his position to transfer land to his family or associates in exchange for railway jobs.

According to the CBI, candidates or their relatives transferred land at a low price, allegedly in exchange for jobs.

Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family have denied these allegations and stated that they will contest them in court.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court recently issued a notice to the CBI on Lalu Prasad Yadav’s petition challenging the framing of charges in the case.

In January, the trial court framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav and several members of his family, stating that they were allegedly part of a “criminal conspiracy.”