Delhi govt withdraws condition of no political activity for Om Prakash Chautala's furlough

The Delhi government has withdrawn the condition of no political activity during the three-week furlough of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is serving a 10-year jail term in teachers' recruitment scam case, on his request.

Chautala's lawyer Amit Sahni said that the INLD leader was released from Tihar Jail on furlough on Friday evening.

"The Delhi government has withdrawn the condition of no political activity.

"The government has conceded to the representation of Chautala in which he had urged that this condition be withdrawn," Sahni said.

Initially, the INLD chief was to be released on furlough on January 22, ahead of Jind by-poll. However, the release was postponed to January 29, that is, after elections with the condition that he shall not attend/address any political meeting/gathering and shall not indulge in political activities during the period of furlough, his plea claimed.

The January 28 by-poll was necessitated following the death of INLD MLA Harichand Middha.

Challenging the condition, Chautala had approached the Delhi High Court which is yet to take up the matter.

O P Chautala, his son Ajay and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were among 55 people convicted on January 16, 2013 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic teachers in Haryana in 2000.

Chautala's sentence was upheld by the Delhi High Court and later by the Supreme Court.

According to petition filed by his lawyer, in the January 17 order of the Director General of Prisons, Tihar Jail, granting him furlough, there was no condition but later on January 18, the condition for no participation in any political activity was added.

Later, after directions of the Delhi home minister, earlier furlough orders were suppressed and on January 21, furlough was made operative from January 29, after by-polls, it claimed.