New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the response of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a petition filed by former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, challenging the framing of charges against her in the alleged IRCTC hotels scam case. The case relates to purported irregularities in the leasing of two Indian Railways-owned hotels during the tenure of her husband, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, as the Union railway minister.

Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma issued notice on Rabri Devi’s petition and listed it for hearing on January 19. On the same day, the court is also scheduled to hear similar pleas filed by Lalu Prasad Yadav and their son, former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, who have also challenged the trial court’s order framing charges in the case.

The High Court’s order marks another significant development in the long-running IRCTC case, which has remained under judicial scrutiny for several years and has major political ramifications given the stature of the accused.

Trial court’s October 13 order

The controversy stems from an order passed by a special CBI court on October 13, 2025, framing charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, and 11 other accused. The trial court held that there was sufficient prima facie material to proceed against them for alleged offences of cheating, criminal conspiracy, and corruption under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act).

The trial court directed that charges be framed for offences punishable under IPC Section 420 (cheating), IPC Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), and Section 13 read with relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court noted that these offences, if proved, carry serious penalties, including a maximum punishment of up to 10 years’ imprisonment under the PC Act and up to seven years for cheating under the IPC.

Rabri Devi’s challenge

In her petition before the Delhi High Court, Rabri Devi has strongly contested the trial court’s conclusions, arguing that the order framing charges against her is based on presumptions rather than concrete evidence.

She has asserted that there is no material on record to suggest that she played any role in the alleged criminal conspiracy involving the leasing of the IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri. According to her plea, the trial court wrongly assumed her involvement merely because of her relationship with Lalu Prasad Yadav and his position as the railway minister at the relevant time.

“It is a matter of record that neither A-1 nor his family members, including the petitioner, was ever involved in the tender process for BNR Hotels at Ranchi and Puri,” Rabri Devi said in her petition, referring to Lalu Prasad Yadav as the principal accused. The plea further stated that even the prosecution had admitted that no instructions—oral or written—were issued by Lalu Prasad Yadav during the tender process for the hotels.

She also alleged that the special court’s order was founded on speculative reasoning. “The Special Court has passed the impugned charge order merely on the presumption that A-1 was the Minister of Railway and posted at a high level, hence there may be a possibility that he would have influenced the officials posted at IRCTC to manipulate the tender process, which shall be adjudicated after the trial,” the petition said.

Rabri Devi contended that such presumptions cannot form the basis for framing criminal charges and that the trial court failed to apply the settled legal principle that even at the stage of framing charges, there must be material indicating the essential ingredients of the alleged offences.

CBI’s allegations

The CBI, in its charge sheet and earlier filings, has alleged that a criminal conspiracy was hatched between 2004 and 2014 to improperly lease two BNR hotels of the Indian Railways—located in Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Puri (Odisha)—to Patna-based Sujata Hotels Private Limited.

According to the investigating agency, the hotels were first transferred from Indian Railways to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and were subsequently leased to Sujata Hotels for operation, maintenance, and upkeep. The CBI has alleged that the tender process for leasing these hotels was “rigged and manipulated” to favour Sujata Hotels.

The FIR filed by the CBI claims that Lalu Prasad Yadav, while serving as the railway minister, entered into a criminal conspiracy with Sarla Gupta, the owner of Sujata Hotels and wife of his close associate Prem Chand Gupta, a former RJD Rajya Sabha MP. The agency has also accused certain IRCTC officials of colluding in the alleged conspiracy to provide “undue pecuniary advantage” to Lalu Prasad Yadav and others.

The CBI further alleged that the tender process was managed in a biased manner by P.K. Goyal, the then managing director of IRCTC, to ensure that Sujata Hotels emerged as the successful bidder.

Accused and charges

Apart from Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav, the trial court framed charges against several other individuals and entities. These include former IRCTC officials and private individuals such as Pradeep Kumar Goel, Rakesh Saksena, Bhupendra Kumar Agarwal, Rakesh Kumar Gogia, and Vinod Kumar Asthana.

Charges under Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which deals with criminal misconduct by a public servant and abuse of official position to obtain undue advantage, were framed against some of the accused. The court also ordered that charges under IPC Section 420 be framed against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, M/s LARA Projects LLP, Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, Sarla Gupta, and Prem Chand Gupta.

Additionally, the trial court directed that a common charge of criminal conspiracy under Section 120B IPC be framed against all accused, read with the provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Legal and political significance

The High Court’s decision to seek the CBI’s stand does not amount to a final ruling on the merits of Rabri Devi’s plea, but it indicates that the court is willing to examine whether the trial court correctly applied the law while framing charges.

At this stage, the High Court will assess whether the material relied upon by the prosecution justifies the continuation of criminal proceedings against Rabri Devi, or whether the charges were framed on conjecture and association rather than evidence.

The case has significant political implications, particularly in Bihar, where Tejashwi Yadav remains a key political figure and a leading face of the RJD. The party has repeatedly alleged that the cases against its leadership are politically motivated, while opposition parties have cited them as examples of corruption during the RJD’s earlier rule at the Centre.

What lies ahead

With the High Court having issued notice, the CBI is now required to file its detailed response to Rabri Devi’s petition. The matter is expected to be argued extensively on January 19, when the court will also hear similar challenges raised by Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav.

The outcome of these hearings could determine whether the trial proceeds as planned or whether the High Court intervenes to set aside or modify the charges. Either way, the decision is likely to shape the future course of the IRCTC case and have lasting legal and political consequences for the accused and for the broader debate on corruption and accountability in public office.