NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s plea seeking a stay on trial court proceedings in the CBI’s land-for-jobs case, linked to appointments made during his tenure as railway minister between 2004 and 2009. A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh said that Yadav should argue his main petition for quashing the CBI chargesheets before the Delhi High Court, which is already hearing the matter. “We will not stay. We will dismiss the appeal and we will say that let the main matter be decided. Why should we keep this small matter?” the bench asked, as quoted by LiveLaw.The apex court, however, remarked that Lalu Prasad can be exempted from personal appearance before the trial court, given the circumstances. The apex court also said that the Delhi High Court will decide on the RJD supremo’s plea to quash the CBI chargesheet.The case, registered by the CBI in May 2022, alleges that Group D appointments in the West Central Railway were made in exchange for land parcels transferred to Yadav’s family or close associates. The former Bihar chief minister has termed the case politically motivated and argued that the probe was launched without mandatory sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.Yadav has claimed that the investigation is an abuse of process aimed at harassing him through a “jurisdictional error” rooted in regime revenge.