The Delhi high court on Wednesday suspended a four-year sentence given to former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala during the pendency of his appeal against the conviction in a disproportionate assets (DA) case.
While granting bail to the 88-year-old politician, the court said the suspension of sentence is subject to the payment of a fine of ₹50 lakh imposed by the trial court and execution of a personal bond of ₹5 lakh with one surety of like amount.
Justice Yogesh Khanna said Chautala admittedly spent about one year and six months in custody and the appeal might take some time to come on board for a hearing.
The court said although Chautala was granted bail in the present case and furnished the bail bonds, he remained in custody and was never released from jail because of the sentence awarded in another case.
On May 27, the trial court convicted Chautala and awarded a four-year jail term to him while also imposing a fine of ₹50 lakh for acquiring disproportionate assets from 1993 to 2006. During his stay in Tihar jail, he had become the oldest inmate in the prison.
“The sentence of the appellant/applicant (Chautala) is suspended till the pendency of the present appeal, subject to payment of a fine of ₹50.00 Lacs as imposed by the learned Trial Court and also on his executing a personal bond of Rs.5.00 Lacs with one surety of like amount to the satisfaction of the learned Trial Court. The appellant shall not visit abroad except with the permission of the learned Trial Court (sic),” said the court in its order.
{{/usCountry}}“The sentence of the appellant/applicant (Chautala) is suspended till the pendency of the present appeal, subject to payment of a fine of ₹50.00 Lacs as imposed by the learned Trial Court and also on his executing a personal bond of Rs.5.00 Lacs with one surety of like amount to the satisfaction of the learned Trial Court. The appellant shall not visit abroad except with the permission of the learned Trial Court (sic),” said the court in its order.
{{/usCountry}}The high court had reserved an order earlier this week on a plea by Chautala seeking suspension of the four-year sentence imposed on him in connection with his conviction in the case.
The CBI had filed the case in 2005, and a charge sheet was filed on March 26, 2010, accusing him of amassing assets disproportionate to his legitimate income, between 1993 and 2006.
According to the CBI's FIR Chautala had accumulated assets, immovable and movable, disproportionate to his known lawful sources of income, in his name and in the names of his family members during his tenure as chief from July 24, 1999, to March 5, 2005.
(With inputs from agencie)