Delhi court dismisses plea by Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi seeking access to documents in land-for-job scam case

A court in Delhi on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, rejected an application filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and former Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi seeking access to over 1,600 “unreliable” documents in the land-for-work case. The court stated that such a request at this stage was designed to “confine the trial to a labyrinth from the very beginning”.

Special Judge Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Court observed that bulk production of documents before the start of cross-examination would be procedurally unsound and could disrupt the course of the trial.

“Unreliable documents” refer to materials collected during the investigation but not named in the prosecution’s indictment.

“While a total of 421 documents relied upon in the present indictments (five) have been disclosed, the list of unreliable documents reflects 1,675 documents. The ulterior motive, or at least the effect, of the mass provision of unreliable documents to the defendant will not only put the cart before the horse, but will also throw the trial process into complete disarray,” the court said.

The court also stated that the request for documents actually aimed to impose a precondition for the continuation of the trial that was not supported by law. He explained that although cross-examination requires presenting a defense, it cannot be postponed just because the defendants say they need additional documents. Allowing this would allow the defendant to impose conditions on the hearing that are not permitted by law.

The judge also stated that the defendant was given the opportunity to review these documents and that he could not claim damages at the beginning of the hearing. He warned that granting such requests prematurely would shift the focus away from the prosecution’s evidence and potentially prolong the trial.

It also rejected similar plea filed by co-accused RK Mahajan and Maheep Kapoor.

The case stems from an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in May 2022, alleging irregularities in appointments to Group ‘D’ posts in Indian Railways between 2004 and 2009. According to the agency, candidates or their family members allegedly transferred their properties to former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, their relatives or a company linked to them, and were given jobs in various railway areas in exchange for land parcels. The indictment, filed in October 2022, also alleged that these appointments were made without any public notice or announcement and that the recruitments were subsequently arranged under the influence of senior railway officials. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate launched a money laundering investigation and stated that alleged proceeds of crime worth around ₹600 crore were detected.

This court last month formally filed charges against the applicants and the defendants in this case.