High Court Seeks ED Response on Plea for Interim Bail in Land-for-Jobs Scam

The Delhi High Court has requested a response from the Enforcement Directorate regarding Amit Katyal's plea for interim bail on medical grounds in a money laundering case. Katyal, associated with RJD's Lalu Prasad, seeks bail following bariatric surgery. The court has set a hearing date for June 7.

The Delhi High Court, on Monday, demanded a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning a plea by Amit Katyal, a close associate of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. Katyal is seeking interim bail on medical grounds in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs scam in the Indian Railways.

Justice Vikas Mahajan, presiding over a vacation bench, issued a notice to the ED and directed it to file a status report on the issue. The court also requested the concerned jail superintendent to submit a report along with Katyal's diet chart, scheduling further hearings for June 7.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Katyal, argued that his client had undergone bariatric surgery and lost 10 kg in weight, necessitating further treatment not available in Tihar jail. However, the judge questioned why the high court was approached during vacations if the surgery was performed earlier. Katyal's lawyer explained that the plea followed a recent dismissal of a bail request by the trial court.

Katyal was arrested on November 11, 2023, by the ED under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to the ED, Katyal allegedly facilitated the acquisition of land from job aspirants on behalf of Lalu Prasad during his tenure as the railway minister in the UPA 1 government. The agency claims that these land transfers were made at significantly reduced rates to AK Infosystems Private Limited, directed by Katyal, before being transferred again to associates of Prasad's family, who are also implicated in the case.