NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday issued a warrant to produce accused Amit Katyal in the land for a job money laundering case on the next date of hearing scheduled on January 31.
Katyal, who is currently lodged in Bhondsi Jail, Haryana, under judicial custody in connection with a case filed by the Gurugram Police, has been charge-sheeted in the high-profile case involving former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. The court’s decision comes as the matter progresses towards critical stages, including the scrutiny of documents and the framing of charges.
During the hearing, Special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court queried the investigation officer about the status of prosecution sanctions against public servants.
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Manish Jain, under instructions from the investigation officer, informed the court that the process is underway.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted documents as directed by the court, responding to pleas from the accused seeking access to relevant materials. The court urged the defense counsel to expedite the document scrutiny process to commence arguments on the framing of charges by early February. Earlier, on September 18, 2024, the court issued summons to Lalu Prasad Yadav, his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, along with other accused in the case.
Tej Pratap Yadav, initially not charge-sheeted by the ED, was summoned based on sufficient material presented before the court. The ED filed a supplementary charge sheet against 11 accused on August 6, listing names including Lallan Chaudhary, Hazari Rai, Dharmendra Kumar, and Akhileshwar Singh. Notably, proceedings against four accused—Lallan Chaudhary, Lal Babu Rai, Kishun Dev Rai, and Sonmatia Devi—have been abated due to their demise.
Others charged also include former Bihar CM Rabri Devi.