HC grants 7-day parole to O P Chautala for grandson's engagement

The Delhi High Court Tuesday granted a week's parole to INLD Chief O P Chautala, serving 10-year jail term in teachers' recruitment scam, to attend the engagement ceremony of his grandson.

Justice I S Mehta directed Chautala not to contact, threaten or coerce any of the family members of the victims during this period.

The court said the 85-year-old leader be released for seven days on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the like amount.

"He shall not indulge in any illegal activities for the purpose of grant of bail. He is to surrender before the Superintendent of jail after the expiry of period of parole," the court said in its order.

Senior advocate N Hariharan and lawyer Amit Sahni, representing Chautala, sought parole for four weeks saying that the engagement ceremony of his grandson has been fixed for July 18 and his presence was required there.

Delhi government's standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra submitted that the factum of the engagement ceremony has been verified and is found to be correct.

Chautala, his son Ajay and three others are serving 10-year jail term each in the case.

The Supreme Court in August 2015 had dismissed Chautalas' appeals against the high court's verdict upholding their conviction and the jail term awarded by a trial court in the Junior Basic Trained (JBT) teachers recruitment scam case.

The high court had on March 5, 2015 upheld the 10-year jail terms awarded to the two Chautalas and three others, saying that "overwhelming evidence showed spine-chilling state of affairs in the country".

The father-son duo and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were among 55 persons convicted on January 16, 2013 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 JBT teachers in Haryana in 2000.