HC extends O P Chautala's interim bail on medical grounds

The Delhi High Court today extended till July 22 the interim bail of former Haryana Chief Minister O P Chautala in the JBT teachers' recruitment scam on medical grounds.

Justice Siddharth Mridul perused the status report filed by the CBI with regard to the present health condition of Chautala and also the medical documents filed by the INLD chief while extending his interim bail, which was to expire today.

On May 21, the court had granted six week interim bail to Chautala to undergo the pacemaker implant.

While extending his interim bail today, the court asked Chautala to obtain an elaborate report on his health condition from the hospital and furnish the same before the court in the next ten days.

The court, in its order, said, "...In the meanwhile, the interim medical bail granted to the applicant (Chautala) shall remain extended, in the same terms and conditions mentioned in the earlier order, till July 22."

Chautala's counsel U U Lalit submitted that at the moment his client is undergoing treatment in Medanta Medicity Hospital in Gurgaon where he was operated upon and the doctors have advised him three-month post-surgery follow up.

However, CBI counsel Rajdeepa Behura sought the court for an order to examine the private hospital's report by a medical board.

To this submission, the court did not pass any order but accepted the CBI's status report and the hospital's medical report.

78-year-old Chautala had sought extension of his interim bail, saying he continues to be in a fragile state of health, besides being severely handicapped by various disabilities. He had said he required constant extra care during the period of three months and constant follow up and clean and stress free environment.

The chief of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), along with 54 others, had been sentenced to ten-year imprisonment by a trial court in the 2000 teachers' recruitment scam.

He had moved high court challenging his conviction and also sought bail for undergoing pacemaker implant.

A medical board was also constituted on court's direction.

The board, which comprised a doctor from Tihar Jail and one specialist each from AIIMS, RML Hospital and GB Pant Hospital here, in its report had suggested that the veteran Haryana politician needs a pacemaker implant in his heart.

On January 22, the trial court had convicted and sentenced Chautala and nine others, including his son Ajay Chautala, to 10 years jail term for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers in 2000.

Among other convicts, 44 have been sentenced to four years in jail and one was sentenced to a five-year jail term in the case.

All of them were held guilty of cheating, forgery, using fake documents as genuine, conspiracy under the IPC and for abusing their official position under the Prevention of Corruption Act.