Top Delhi lawyers to fight Lalu’s latest legal battle

Top Delhi-based lawyers will be roped in to fight the legal battle for RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members following the latest CBI case against them pertaining to alleged allotment of two railway hotels in lieu of prime land during Prasad’s stint as railway minister. It is alleged that Prasad as railway minister handed over maintenance of two railway hotels — BNR Ranchi and Puri — to Sujata Hotel (a company owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar) after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land of three acres through a benami company.

RJD insiders said the party’s MP and lawyer Ram Jethmalani has been already consulted while efforts are on to rope in a few more lawyers based in New Delhi as the CBI has lodged the FIR in the national capital.

Sources said the RJD chief’s close aides have also contacted Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal for taking up the case and are also approaching several other prominent lawyers of Delhi to weigh various legal options available in case the CBI summons the RJD chief, his younger son and wife Rabri Devi in the case.

Prasad has been named in the CBI’s FIR for misusing his official position as railway minister by allegedly allotting two hotels to businessmen Kochhars in lieu of prime land in Patna while Tejashwi and Rabri Devi have also been named in the FIR for owning the Delight Marketing firm, the intermediary firm through which the alleged benami land deal took place.

Lalu’s elder daughter Misa Bharti, too, is facing an ED probe for money laundering. Trouble is also there in store for Lalu’s two other daughters, Hema and Ragini, as the BJP has alleged that the duo have high stakes in companies taken over by the family in late 2000.