New Delhi, January 6, 2026— The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to put a hold on the ongoing trial against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Union railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in the alleged IRCTC hotel scam case, while seeking a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on his plea challenging the framing of charges.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma observed that no interim relief could be granted without hearing the investigating agency. The court issued notice to the CBI on Yadav’s petition as well as his application seeking a stay on the trial proceedings and scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 14. The trial court records were also summoned.
During the hearing, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Maninder Singh, representing Lalu Prasad Yadav, urged the court to stay the trial, arguing that the proceedings were moving swiftly and that two prosecution witnesses had already been examined within a month. However, the court noted that the petition had been filed at a late stage and said the request for interim relief would be considered only after the CBI files its reply.
The CBI’s counsel sought time to submit a detailed response, which the court allowed.
A trial court had framed charges in the case on October 13, 2025, against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, their son and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, along with 11 other accused. The charges include offences of cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, in addition to provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the awarding of operational contracts for two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels located in Puri and Ranchi. According to the CBI, a conspiracy was allegedly executed between 2004 and 2014, during which the BNR hotels were transferred from Indian Railways to IRCTC and subsequently leased to Patna-based Sujata Hotels Private Limited for operation and maintenance.
The investigating agency has claimed that the tendering process was manipulated and eligibility conditions were modified to favour the private firm. The chargesheet also names former IRCTC officials V K Asthana and R K Goyal, Sujata Hotels directors Vijay Kochhar and Vinay Kochhar, and associated companies including Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects.
In its earlier order, the trial court made strong observations, stating that the transactions involving land and shares appeared to be a possible case of crony capitalism carried out under the pretext of private participation in the operation of railway hotels.
Apart from Lalu Prasad Yadav, charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act have been framed against several other accused, including Pradeep Kumar Goel, Rakesh Saksena, Bhupendra Kumar Agarwal, Rakesh Kumar Gogia and Vinod Kumar Asthana. Charges of cheating under IPC Section 420 and criminal conspiracy under Section 120B have also been invoked against multiple accused, including Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav.
Under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the accused face a maximum punishment of ten years’ imprisonment, while the offence of cheating carries a maximum sentence of seven years.
