Released from Tihar Central Jail on Friday on completion of 10-year jail term in a teachers’ recruitment scam, former Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Om Prakash Chautala said he planned to visit farmers at protest sites.
Addressing party workers assembled at the Delhi-Gurugram border to welcome the octogenarian leader, Mr. Chautala thanked them for supporting his party against the wrong policies of the government and assured them that he would continue to fight for the poor, downtrodden and farmers.
Mr. Chautala said doctors had advised him a few days of rest, after which he would visit the protesting sites to meet farmers and seek their blessings. He said he will visit villages across the country.
Chautala, his son Ajay, and 53 others were convicted on January 13, 2013, by a Delhi court for illegally recruiting 3,206 basic teachers in Haryana in 1999-2000 when the INLD chief was the chief minister. A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe was ordered by the Supreme Court on a petition by IAS officer Sanjeev Kumar, who accused the leader of taking bribes to recruit teachers and said he was forced to change the original list of selected candidates.
The former Chief Minister, sentenced in 2013, completed his prison term two months ahead of schedule on account of a special remission granted to around 20 convicts who had less than six months of their terms remaining.
The Tihar authorities had communicated that the Government of Delhi had passed an order regarding the special remission, according to Mr Chautala’s lawyer.
“It has been a battle to seek justice for Chautala. We had to approach the Delhi High Court on multiple occasions for his release. The Delhi High Court has reprimanded the Delhi government for not considering his early release despite his fulfilling all parameters,” lawyer Amit Sahni had said.
INLD, which has no MLAs in the current Haryana Assembly, will hope for a revival with Mr Chautala’s return. However, the veteran leader will not be able to contest elections for the next six years owing to his conviction.
Despite that, the four-time Chief Minister’s return is likely to boost the party’s chances given his charisma, oratory, and ability to turn crises into opportunities.
