HC dismisses Ajay Chautala's plea for parole in JBT scam case

INLD leader Ajay Chautala, serving 10-year jail term in teachers' recruitment scam case, cannot be permitted to insist that his plea for parole be considered along with that of his father and former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, the Delhi High Court said today, dismissing the plea.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath dismissed Ajay Chautala's plea against a single judge bench order which had on February 1 granted four weeks parole to Om Prakash Chautala, who is also serving 10-years imprisonment in the case, to attend a wedding but denied the same relief to his son.

The division bench noted that while O P Chautala's plea for parole was considered by the single judge, Ajay had contended that his similar plea be adjourned and his father's petition be heard. The single judge had then listed Ajay's plea for April 4.
"The appellant (Ajay Chautala) cannot now be permitted to turn around and insist that his petition for parole be also considered simultaneously with that of his father," the bench said.
"Even otherwise in our opinion, the case of the appellant and his father Om Prakash Chautala are materially different as the grand daughter of Om Prakash Chautala is getting married.

"For the issue of grant of parole on the original grounds i.E. Medical condition and to maintain social ties, the matter is to be taken up on April 4, 2016 i.E. The date to which the petition filed by the appellant stands adjourned," it noted.

"We see no reason to interfere with the impunged order passed by the single judge. The appeal is dismissed," it said.
82-year-old senior Chautala had sought 60 days' parole for treatment while Ajay had sought 12 weeks' parole to enable him "to get treatment and maintain social ties".
Later, both of them had stated that they have to attend weddings in their family, scheduled in February.

Chautalas' appeal against the high court verdict convicting and sentencing them to 10 years in jail was dismissed by the Supreme Court on August 3 last year.
Chautalas and 53 others, including two 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 Chautalas and two IAS officers, the high court had awarded 10-year prison term to Sher Singh Badshami, then an MLA and political adviser to Chautala senior.