NEW DELHI: Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, his MLA-son Ajay Chautala and 53 others were today convicted by a Delhi court for the illegal recruitment of over 3000 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers in the state.
After the court pronounced its judgment, all the convicts were taken into judicial custody. The court has fixed January 22 for pronouncing the quantum of sentence.
Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar held 78-year-old Om Prakash Chautala, 51-year-old Ajay Chautala and others guilty of offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).
Apart from the Chautalas, Sanjiv Kumar, the then Director of Primary Education, Chautala’s former Officer on Special Duty Vidya Dhar and Sher Singh Badshami, political advisor to the then Haryana CM were convicted by the court in the case.
The court has fixed January 17, 19 and 21 for hearing the arguments on sentence.
The court had framed charges against them under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC and provisions of the PCA.
The court had reserved its verdict in the case on December 17, 2012 after conclusion of final arguments by the CBI and the defense counsel.
Out of the initial 62 accused, six had died during the trial while one had been discharged by the court at the time of framing of charges.
The court had earlier found prima facie evidence against Chautala, his son Ajay and 53 others, including IAS officers Dhar and Kumar.
Kumar was made accused by the CBI after he exposed the JBT recruitment scam. . The 55 persons convicted by the court today include 16 women.
Except the accused, their counsel, prosecutors and the court staff, the judge did not allow anyone else to enter the court room.
The relatives and family members of the accused and media persons were asked to stand behind the barricades set up outside the courtroom, as the proceedings were held amidst tight security.
The CBI had on June 6, 2008; charge sheeted the Chautalas, Indian National Lok Dal leaders, and others in connection with the scam relating to appointment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in the state during 1999-2000.
In its charge sheet, the CBI had said that the probe established the manner in which the second lists were made by calling the chairpersons and members of the district-level selection committees of 18 districts to Haryana Bhawan here and a guest house in Chandigarh, where the modalities were worked out.
CBI, in its charge sheet, had also said that the father-son duo had used forged documents to appoint 3,206 teachers.
The apex court had in its order on November 25, 2003, directed CBI to take up the investigation of the case. Reacting to conviction of Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay and 53 others in the case involving illegal recruitment of junior basic teachers in the state, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said “the law is taking its course.”
“The law is taking its course. The violation of law results only in such things,” said Hooda.
Om Prakash Chautala’s younger son Abhay Chautala today denied that his father and brother committed any illegality in recruitment of junior basic teachers in the state saying there was “nothing related to corruption” in the matter.
“The matter is not related to corruption. No money had exchanged hands in the issue. We had appointed teachers on merit,” Abhay told the media after the court pronounced its judgment, convicting his father, brother and 53 others in the case.
He added he would go through the judgment to see what kind of “negligence” has been attributed to them.
While denying the involvement of his family members in the case, Abhay laid the blame on Sanjiv Kumar saying the IAS officer while heading the Department of Primary Education was involved in several scams and the state government had suspended him after they came to light.
In order to save himself, Kumar went to the Supreme Court and told it that he was pressurized by Om Prakash Chautala, said Abhay adding that his (Kumar’s) allegations, however, has not been proved in the court.
He said the recruitment to the posts of JBT were opened by the government preceding that of the Chautalas and that all formalities were done by previous government.
Making it clear that the Chautalas will file an appeal against the verdict convicting them, Abhay said “we will study the judgment and will approach a higher court.”
Haryana Janhit Congress president Kuldeep Bishnoi said “the corrupt deeds” of Chautala has finally caught up with him and described the INLD supremo’s conviction by the court as the “beginning of the end” for his party.
“Sooner or later he had to go to jail for his corrupt deeds. The only question was when. I salute the Delhi court for its verdict, I believe it is a milestone decision,” Hisar MP Bishnoi told PTI over the telephone. -PTI
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