The Delhi High Court on Monday, January 5, 2026, asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to respond to a petition filed by RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav. He challenged the trial court’s order that framed charges against him in the alleged IRCTC scam case. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, presiding over the case, refused to stay the trial at this stage. The court said it must first review the CBI’s reply before taking any further action. The court issued a notice to the CBI on Lalu Prasad’s petition and stay application. The matter is now listed for the next hearing on January 14, 2026. On October 13, 2025, the trial court had framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, their son Tejashwi Yadav, and 11 others. They face allegations of cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. The trial court noted that the land and share deals linked to the case might be "possibly an instance of crony capitalism fostered in the garb of eliciting private participation in the Railways' hotels at Ranchi and Puri." Other accused include Pradeep Kumar Goel, Rakesh Saksena, Bhupendra Kumar Agarwal, Rakesh Kumar Gogia, and Vinod Kumar Asthana. Charges under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d)(ii) and (iii) of the PC Act allege criminal misconduct and abuse of position by public servants to gain favors. Charges under IPC Section 420 relate to cheating. A joint charge under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) IPC was framed against all 14 accused. The maximum punishment under the PC Act can be 10 years, and for cheating under IPC, up to seven years. Lalu Prasad Yadav, a former Union Railway Minister, had approached the High Court to challenge the framing of charges by the trial court.