JBT scam: Former Haryana CM Chautala's son given bail over health issues

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court granted interim bail for four weeks to Ajay Singh Chautala, an MLA and son of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Praksah Chautala, for treatment of his cardiac ailments at a hospital.

Ajay Chautala, his 78-year-old father and chief of INLD and 53 others are serving varying jail terms in a teachers’ recruitment scam in the year 2000. Ajay, like his father, has been advised either to undergo the pacemaker implant surgery or other medical procedures for treatment of his cardiac disease.

“In view of the facts and circumstances of the case and considering the medical report of the appellant/applicant, the applicant’s sentence shall be suspended for a period of four weeks,” Justice Siddharth Mridul said while granting interim bail to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA from Dabwali constituency of Haryana.

The court, which put several conditions on Chautala, asked him to furnish a personal and two surety bonds of Rs 5 lakh each as one of the pre-conditions of his release. It also asked Chautala to surrender his passport with the trial court and told him not to leave the National Capital Region without prior permission. It also asked him to get himself admitted at Medanta Medicity within 24 hours of his release on bail.

Meanwhile, Justice Mridul extended the interim bail of the former Chief Minister till 23 August and asked the Director of AIIMS to direct the medical board, appointed by him, to file another report giving specific answer to a query whether senior Chautala needs hospitalisation for his age-related ailments.

The former CM was earlier granted interim bail for six weeks, which was later extended several times, by the court for undergoing pacemaker implant surgery at a private hospital at Gurgaon here. The surgery was successful, the report said.

The medical board, constituted by AIIMS on the court’s direction, has also opined that he did not require hospitalisation for his cardiac ailments.

Senior advocate U U Lalit, appearing for Chautala senior, sought extension of interim bail saying the other comorbidity, like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, require constant medical attention.

“With regard to comorbid conditions of appellant/applicant (O P Chautala)… the question has arisen today as to whether the facts of comorbidity (other ailments), which are present in the medical report, required any further hospitalisation or regular medical attention or follow up treatment can be given even without hospitalisation,” the court said.

It asked the AIIMS Director to ask the medical board, appointed by him, to file a report within a week as to whether the INLD chief needed further hospitalisation or not.

The court, meanwhile, asked the jail superintendent to file a report on the alleged assault inside prison on Sanjiv Kumar, a suspended IAS officer and co-convict in the case, on 21 August.

Earlier, Om Praksah Chautala had moved the high court challenging his conviction and 10-year jail term awarded in the Junior Basic Trained (JBT) Teachers case.

On 22 January, the trial court had convicted and sentenced Chautala and nine others, including his son Ajay Chautala, to 10 years jail term for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers in 2000. Among other convicts, 44 have been sentenced to four years in jail and one was sentenced to five-year jail term in the case.

All of them were held guilty of cheating, forgery, using fake documents as genuine, conspiracy under the IPC and for abusing their official position under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

PTI