Haryana's JBT scam: Accused gets bail for daughter's wedding

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today granted five weeks’ bail to Rekha Sharma, convicted along with former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala in a teacher-recruitment scam, in view of her dughter’s marriage on 6 February.

Rekha Sharma, then senior lecturer, District Institute of Education and Training, was sentenced to four years of jail on 22 January. She had moved the high court seeking bail to solemnize the marriage of her daughter.

Justice Mukta Gupta, granting interim bail to Sharma, said: “I deem it fit to suspend the sentence for the period of five weeks on submission of a personal bond of Rs.25,000 with surety of like amount.”

Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar had sentenced Indian National Lok Dal chief and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala, and eight others to 10 years in jail. One accused in the case was convicted and sentenced to five years in jail, while 45 others got four years’ imprisonment.

The court had earlier found prima facie evidence against the Chautalas and 53 others and charged all of them June 6, 2008, for their role in the scam that took place between 1999 and 2000, when Om Prakash Chautala was Haryana chief minister.

Over 3,000 teachers were to be recruited in the state and Chautala pressurised a senior official, Sanjiv Kumar, to change the list of selected candidates by fudging the marks of certain favourites.

Of the 62 people accused in the junior basic training (JBT) teacher hiring scam, six died during the trial. One was discharged during framing of charges.

The Chautalas and others were held guilty of offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

The court framed charges against them under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC and provisions of the PCA.

IANS