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Former Haryana CM OP Chautala to be released from Tihar jail soon
The 86-year-old was lodged inside jail number 2 of Tihar after being convicted in the Haryana junior basic teachers recruitment scam in 2013
Former Haryana chief minister OP Chautala, who is out on parole, will be formally released as he has completed his sentence, Tihar jail officers said on Wednesday. The 86-year-old was lodged inside jail number 2 of Tihar after being convicted in the Haryana junior basic teachers recruitment scam in 2013.
The prison’s director general, Sandeep Goel, confirmed Chautala had served his time and would be released. Chautala is among the many prisoners out on parole as one of the measures taken by prison officers to decongest the jail complex to contain the spread of Covid-19. Housing over 20,000 prisoners, Tihar is one of the most crowded prison complexes in the country.
Prison officers, privy to the latest development regarding the former chief of the Indian National Lok Dal, said Chautala was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by a city court in 2013. On Tuesday, he completed 9 years and 6 months in custody, including remission.
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Remission is the reduction of a prisoner’s sentence based on his/her good conduct or number of years spent behind bars.
Jail officers said the remaining 6 months of Chautala’s prison time were waived off because of a recent Delhi government notification, regarding special remission of 6 months to convicts sentenced for 10 years.
“He is currently out on emergency parole granted because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He will have to surrender before the jail superintendent after which his release order will be signed by the jail superintendent. We have already informed his lawyers and the person whose number he had provided in the prison records,” said a prison officer, who asked not to be named.
On January 16,2013 a special CBI court had held Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and 53 others guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers in the state in 2000. Chautala is the first person to be released in the case.
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