SC stamps out Chautalas' last hope

Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala will have to undergo their entire ten-year sentence behind bars after the Supreme Court refused to entertain appeals challenging their conviction in the State junior basic trained (JBT) teacher recruitment scam of 2000.For the 80-year-old Jat leader and his son, it was a last chance to seek a reversal of a trial court verdict that held them guilty of being part of conspiracy to illegally recruit 3,206 JBT teachers. The verdict given by a Bench of Justices FM Ibrahim Kalifulla and Shiva Kirti Singh trashed Chautala’s appeal.

Rejecting persuasive arguments by senior advocate Harish Salve, who appeared for the father-son duo, , the Bench felt there was no reason to interfere with the trial court verdict and Delhi High Court judgement spelling out clearly the reasons for faulting the then Chief Minister, his son, and officers in the State Government.While Salve claimed there was no direct evidence of any monetary gain or illegal benefit achieved by Chautala in the scam, the SC Bench remained unmoved.

Salve then  argued relief on health ground citing the deteriorating condition  of the octogenarian, who was recently treated for heart ailment. The court said it was open to Chautala to approach the Delhi High Court for parole on health grounds. The High Court had on March 5 this year said, “The overwhelming evidence showed the shocking and spine-chilling state of affairs in the country.” 

The father-son duo and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were convicted on January 16, 2013 by the trial court in relation to the JBT scam.The Court awarded 10-year jail term also to whistleblower IAS officer Sanjiv Kumar  who was the then Director of Primary Education, IAS officer Vidya Dhar the then Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister, and Sher Singh Badshami, then MlA and political adviser to Chief Minister.

The case was investigated by CBI which charged the accused persons under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 418 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Fifty accused in the case got limited relief as the HC reduced their jail term from 10 years to two years.