After finding him guilty of amassing assets disproportionate to his income, a Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Delhi sentenced former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala to four years in prison and a punishment of Rs 50 lakh on Friday.
Special Judge Vikas Dhull ruled Chautala’s punishment was “fair and reasonable to fulfil the goals of justice,” citing the “galloping rise in situations where public workers misuse official positions.”
The court also imposed a Rs 50 lakh fine and seized four properties belonging to the 87-year-old Chautala — two in Delhi and one each in Gurgaon and Panchkula — stating that if potential offenders obtain assets by abusing their official positions, “then not only will they be punished severely, but even their properties so acquired shall be liable for confiscation.”
The court ordered that Rs 5 lakh of the Rs 50 lakh be given to the CBI for expenses incurred in pursuing this case.The court further ordered that the CBI be paid 5 lakh of the total fine of 50 lakh “to offset the expenditures spent in the prosecution/investigation.”
The judge further stated that if the fine was not paid, he would face an extra six months of simple jail. While outlining the octogenarian politician’s prison sentence, the judge stated that “the period of custody undergone by the convict in the present case, whether at the stage of investigation, inquiry, or trial, is required to be set off under Section 428 Cr.PC,” removing 487 days from the four-year sentence.
Chautala, was brought in a wheelchair in the courtroom. His lawyers had asked the court for a lenient sentence, citing the Indian National Lok Dal chief’s failing health, age, physical disability, and the sentence he served at Tihar jail after being convicted in the JBT teachers recruitment scam — where he had also completed his Class 10 and Class 12 education.
Harsh Kumar Sharma, Chautala’s lawyer, claimed that client was 90% physically impaired, had a lung infection, couldn’t even change his clothes on his own, and required the assistance of a caretaker to walk around.
The CBI prosecutor has asked the court to punish Chautala harshly as any leniency while awarding punishment would send a “wrong message” in the public.
“being a political leader and an elected representative, had belied the trust of the voters of his constituency by abusing his official position to generate assets for himself. If lawmakers commit crimes, what message shall we send to the public? People look up to you (Chautala). Your decisions are followed if you commit such crimes, what lessons will people learn from you.”
“In light of the facts and circumstances, and in light of the convict’s age, handicap, and multiple infirmities [none of which are significant or life-threatening], I am not inclined to accept Ld. SPP’s petition for the CBI to grant the maximum punishment, in the circumstances, this court believes that four years of solitary confinement is equitable and reasonable to achieve the goals of justice”, ruled the court.
Mr. Gupta stated that Chautala was arrested by police after the order was issued on Friday.
Under the terms of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached Chautala’s properties worth Rs 3.68 crore in 2019, including his flat and plots in New Delhi, Panchkula, and Sirsa (PMLA).
After being found guilty by the Supreme Court in the JBT teachers’ recruitment fraud in 2013, Chautala was sentenced to seven years in prison on corruption charges and ten years on criminal conspiracy charges.
After serving his sentence in the case, Chautala was released from Tihar jail on July 2 of last year. Since his release, Chautala has been politically active, travelling rural Haryana in an attempt to revive the INLD.