Supreme Court Declines to Quash FIR Against Lalu Prasad Yadav in Land-for-Jobs Case

April 14, 2026 : In a significant setback to senior RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Supreme Court of India has refused to quash the FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the subsequent charge sheets filed in the alleged land-for-jobs case.

A Bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh, however, granted relief to the 77-year-old leader by exempting him from personal appearance before the trial court.

During the proceedings, the CBI argued that prior sanction was not required to prosecute the case. In contrast, the defence contended that the absence of such sanction vitiated the entire proceedings.

The Court’s decision comes in line with the earlier ruling of the Delhi High Court, which had dismissed Lalu Yadav’s plea seeking quashing of the FIR and charge sheets. The High Court had held that Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, introduced in 2018, does not apply retrospectively to alleged offences committed between 2004 and 2009.

The case relates to allegations of irregular appointments in the Indian Railways during Lalu Yadav’s tenure as Railway Minister, purportedly made in exchange for land parcels transferred to his family members and close associates.