OP Chautala was convicted in 2013 by a trial court over illegal recruitment of teachers in 2000
The Delhi High Court today sought the response of the AAP government on a plea of Indian National Lok Dal chief OP Chautala, who is serving a ten year jail term in a teachers' recruitment scam case, seeking two-month parole to look after his ailing wife.
Justice Mukta Gupta directed the authorities concerned to place within two days their status report on Chautala's plea for parole. The court listed the matter for further hearing on December 14.
Advocate Amit Sahni, appearing for the former Haryana Chief Minister OP Chautala, submitted that the convict's wife Sneh Lata is critically ill and is hospitalised at Sirsa in Haryana.
The counsel submitted that the 78-year-old wife of Mr Chautala is admitted in the intensive care unit of a hospital. The 82-year-old politician also urged the court to release him on parole on medical grounds.
The petitioner informed the court that he wanted to spend time with his wife in her last days. The plea said the leader was last granted parole earlier this year and he was entitled to get parole as per parole and furlough guidelines, which stipulates that a minimum of six months should elapse after the date of termination of the previous parole.
The high court had on March 1 cancelled the parole granted to Mr Chautala on medical grounds and asked him to "surrender forthwith", saying he "misled" it by feigning illness. It had then said that Mr Chautala was misusing his parole to attend public meetings.
Mr Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and three others are serving 10-year jail term in the case.
The Supreme Court in August 2015 had dismissed Chautalas' appeals against the high court verdict upholding their conviction and sentence of 10 years awarded by a trial court in the junior basic trained teachers recruitment scam case.
The high court had on March 5, 2015 upheld the 10-year jail terms awarded to the father, son and three others, saying "the overwhelming evidence showed spine-chilling state of affairs in the country."
The father-son duo and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were among 55 persons convicted on January 16, 2013 by the trial court for illegally recruiting 3,206 JBT teachers in Haryana in 2000.