Apex court judge opts out of Chautala case

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, May 25

Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala today could not get any relief from the Supreme Court as Justice UU Lalit opted out of hearing his case.

Serving a 10-year jail term for committing irregularities in the recruitment of about 3,000 JBT teachers in Haryana in 1999-2000 during his tenure as CM, 81-year-old Chautala had approached the vacation Bench headed by Justice AK Sikri.

The Bench, however, could not entertain his plea as Justice Lalit, the other member of the Bench, said he was recusing from the case as he had appeared as a lawyer in the case before his elevation as a judge.

Justice Sikri advised Chautala’s advocate to either approach Chief Justice HL Dattu or wait till next week— when the composition of the vacation Bench would change— for urgent hearing of his case.

Chautala was released from Tihar jail here last month (April 4) for a month to enable him to file an appeal in the SC, challenging the March 5 Delhi High Court verdict upholding the 10-year sentence awarded by the trial court on January 22, 2013.

The HC had also endorsed the 10-year RI awarded to Chautala’s son, Ajay Singh. On May 15, another SC Bench had virtually rejected Ajay Singh’s appeal but agreed to hear further arguments later.