New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Friday directed former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala to surrender before the jail authorities on Saturday for allegedly misusing the bail granted to him to campaign for the Assembly elections.
The high court made it clear that the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief “cannot take the court for a ride” and “cannot be permitted to question the majesty, dignity and decorum of this court”.
“Let him surrender tomorrow. Let’s not bargain over this,” Justice Siddharth Mridul said while refusing to grant Mr Chautala time till Sunday or Monday morning.
The judge orally made it clear that Mr Chautala would not take part in any election campaign in the intervening period. The high court rejected his plea seeking more time to surrender. “I need treatment for fractures. I will surrender on October 17, if the court allows it,” Mr Chautala had appealed.
“I cannot permit this. Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done,” the judge said.
The high court also said that if the jail authorities think it necessary they may take him to AIIMS for medical treatment. The CBI had sought cancellation of Chautala’s bail and wanted him to surrender on Friday itself. “Fact is if he (Chautala) is well enough to campaign, well enough to travel, he will have to surrender,” added the court.
Chautala was granted bail by the court on medical grounds. He was in jail after being convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison in a case relating to the teachers recruitment scam. An appeal is pending in the high court.
On Thursday, Chautala was directed to appear in person before the high court. Chautala on Friday also appeared in a Delhi court in connection with a disproportionate assets (DA) case and sought exemption from appearance, which was opposed by the CBI.
On Thursday the former Haryana CM had moved an application seeking permission to participate in the ongoing Haryana election campaign. His move was opposed by the CBI which said he was deliberately not attending court proceedings. The CBI also said that he had on many occasions taken exemption on grounds either related to health or on some other pretext. The court recorded evidence in the DA case.
