Delhi court seeks CBI, ED responses on Rabri Devi's pleas to transfer cases

New Delhi, Nov 28 A Delhi court on Friday issued notices to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on transfer pleas filed by former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi demanding that three pending corruption and money laundering matters be shifted out of the court of Special Judge, Vishal Gogne.

The Rouse Avenue Courts sought responses from both central agencies and fixed December 6 for hearing the applications. The transfer pleas pertain to the CBI's land-for-jobs case, as well as the ED’s money-laundering probes arising out of that FIR, and the IRCTC hotel scam case.

Earlier on Wednesday, Principal District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (PC Act) Dinesh Bhatt sought the response of the CBI on a similar plea seeking transfer of the IRCTC scam case from Judge Gogne's court.

In her application, Rabri Devi claimed that Special Judge Gogne’s conduct during several hearings has created a "reasonable apprehension of bias" in her mind.

"The conduct of the Ld. Special Judge, on various occasions during the course of proceedings in all the above-mentioned cases, appears to be unduly inclined towards the prosecution and bias, which can be seen from a number of instances of the case proceedings/orders itself," the transfer plea stated, adding that the apprehension was not based on "speculations or imagination" but on specific instances which have occurred during proceedings of the cases.

Rabri Devi has urged that the matters be moved to another court “in the interest of justice, equity and fair play”.

The IRCTC hotel scam case, in which charges under Sections 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were ordered to be framed last month, relates to alleged irregular lease-outs of IRCTC hotels between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad was the Union Railway Minister.

In the CBI’s land-for-jobs case, the agency claims that candidates seeking Group-D posts in the Railways transferred land to Lalu Prasad’s family members or benami companies in exchange for employment.

The ED, in its connected money-laundering prosecution, asserts that the transactions generated proceeds of crime subsequently layered through various entities.

All four transfer pleas -- the IRCTC scam case, the land-for-jobs case, and the two linked ED matter -- will now be taken up on December 6.

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