Rauja Avenue Court Delays Hearing on IRCTC Hotel Fraud Charges Against Lalu Clan Until End of July

On Thursday, the Raoja Avenue Court in New Delhi deferred its ruling on whether to set the charges in the IRCTC hotel money‑laundering investigation against Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family. The bench has now fixed July 31 as the next date for the decision. The Enforcement Directorate, which prepared the charge sheet, has listed Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, sons Tejashwi and Tej Pratap, daughter Misa Bharti, daughter‑in‑law Hema Yadav and other close associates as accused. Investigators claim the contracts awarded for the upkeep of IRCTC hotels during Lalu’s railway‑minister tenure were handed to a private company linked to his confidants without adhering to statutory procurement norms, facilitating the transfer of nearly three acres of valuable land through a shell company.