The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to immediately stay trial court proceedings against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in a case related to alleged irregularities in the leasing of two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotels.

Yadav’s lawyers, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Maninder Singh, urged a bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma to halt proceedings, noting that the next hearing in the trial court was scheduled for January 12. They sought the stay while challenging the trial court’s October 13, 2025 order that had framed charges against Yadav and his family.

Justice Sharma, however, refused to grant an immediate stay. She noted that the charges were framed months ago and that the stay petition had been filed only in January. “You should have come earlier. Let them [CBI] file their reply. I am giving you a date. Issue notice,” the judge told Sibal and Singh, scheduling the next hearing for January 14. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was directed to respond to the plea.

The trial court had, on October 13, framed charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy, and cheating against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and their son, Tejashwi Yadav. Special Judge Vishal Gogne had described Lalu Prasad as the “fountainhead of a criminal conspiracy” and noted prima facie evidence that he manipulated a railway tender in exchange for land and other benefits. The charges were framed under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.

The case revolves around allegations of irregularities in the leasing of two IRCTC hotels—one in Ranchi and another in Puri—to Vijay and Vinay Kochhar’s company, Sujata Hotels Pvt Ltd, during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure as railway minister. The CBI has alleged that the tender process was rigged in the company’s favour in exchange for land and company shares transferred to members of the Yadav family at undervalued prices.

According to the CBI charge sheet, the hotels had been transferred from the railways to IRCTC between 2004 and 2014 and subsequently leased to Sujata Hotels for operations and maintenance. The agency claims the tender was manipulated to ensure the company’s selection, resulting in a loss to the public exchequer.

In addition to the CBI case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, their daughter, and Tejashwi Yadav, based on the CBI’s findings.

With day-to-day hearings already ordered in the trial court and two witnesses examined within the past month, the Delhi High Court’s refusal to stay proceedings signals that the legal process will continue without delay. The next hearing in the HC is scheduled for January 14, 2026, when the court will hear the CBI’s response to the plea.