Ex-Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala Gets 4 Years Jail In Disproportionate Assets Case

Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala was on Friday sentenced to four years imprisonment by a special CBI court in a disproportionate assets case.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh and ordered the confiscation of four of his properties.

Last week, special judge (PC Act) Vikas Dhull had convicted Chautala and said the accused had failed to satisfactorily account for such dis-proportionality by proving his source of income or means by way of which, he acquired assets during this period.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) FIR accused Om Prakash Chautala, while functioning as Chief Minister of Haryana during the period from July 24, 1999 to March 5, 2005, in collusion with his family members and others, accumulated assets, immovable and movable, disproportionate to his known lawful sources of income, in his name, in the names of his family members and others to the extent of Rs 1,467 crores.

The FIR further stated that the accused accumulated enormous wealth and invested the same throughout the country in the shape of thousands of acres of land, multi complexes, palatial residential houses, hotels, farmhouses, business agencies, petrol pumps and other investments apart from investments in foreign countries.

It also stated that 43 immovable properties in all, apart from cash and jewellery were accumulated. Apart from 43 alleged properties listed in the FIR, additional properties were also suspected to be of the accused family.

An investigation with regard to additional properties was also conducted for ascertaining the link of the accused family with the said properties.

The chargesheet filed in the matter after the conclusion of the investigation stated that accused OP Chautala had acquired assets, both immovable and movable, which were disproportionate to his known source of income.

The disproportionate assets were calculated to be Rs 6,09,79,026 and the percentage of DA (Disproportionate Assets) was 189.11 per cent of his known sources of income.

Accordingly, CBI had charge-sheeted the accused for the offence under the relevant section of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI had also filed two more charge sheets arising out of the present FIR, against the sons of the accused including Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala and others, which are being tried separately.

Om Prakash Chautala was as the Chief Minister of Haryana from the Indian National Lok Dal. In 2021, Chautala was released from the Tihar Jail from a 10 years prison sentence after completing the due formalities.

He and 53 others, in June 2008, were charged in connection with the appointment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in the state of Haryana during 1999-2000.

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