This Article is From Nov 18, 2015

Teachers Recruitment Scam: Court Seeks Delhi Government's Reply on OP Chautala's Parole

Teachers Recruitment Scam: Court Seeks Delhi Government's Reply on OP Chautala's Parole

OP Chautala, his son and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were convicted in the illegal recruitment of teachers in 2000.

New Delhi: Delhi High Court today sought the city government's response on a plea of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, serving 10-year jail term in a teachers' recruitment scam case, seeking 60 days' parole for medical treatment.

Justice Ashutosh Kumar issued notice to Delhi government and sought its reply to OP Chautala's plea by January 4, the next date of hearing.

During the hearing, the government, however, opposed the plea.

On August 3, OP Chautala and his son Ajay Singh Chautala's appeal against the high court verdict was dismissed by the Supreme Court, saying the order was a "reasoned one".

The apex court had, however, said the convicts may move the high court with their pleas seeking relief like parole on health ground.

82-year-old OP Chautala has sought parole for 60 days for getting treatment for his polio-affected legs.

"On October 20, the home department of Delhi government has informed that his plea for parole was dismissed, keeping in mind the 2010 parole guidelines, as per which there should be a gap of a minimum six months from the date of termination of last parole," the application had stated.

The petition also said that Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader had last availed one-month parole in May this year, which was later extended.

The plea, which was filed through advocate Amit Sahni, has said the "petitioner is polio-affected since his birth and has permanent disability of 60 per cent. He was on bail during the trial and was released on parole, but he has never misused the same."

Since six months will expire on November 28, his plea be allowed taking a lenient view, the petition has said.

The high court had on March 5 upheld the jail term awarded to OP Chautala, his son Ajay and three others, saying, "Overwhelming evidence showed shocking and spine-chilling state of affairs in the country."

The father-son duo and 53 others, including two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, were convicted on January 16, 2013 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers in Haryana in 2000.

Besides the Chautalas and whistleblower IAS officer Sanjiv Kumar, the then Director of Primary Education, the high court had also awarded 10-year prison term to IAS officer Vidya Dhar, then Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister, and Sher Singh Badshami, then a legislator and political adviser to Chautala-senior.
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