HC reserves order on Om Prakash Chautala's plea in DA case

New Delhi, Aug 1 The Delhi High Court on Monday reserved its order on a plea moved by former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala seeking suspension of his jail term in connection with a disproportionate assets (DA) case.

Justice Yogesh Khanna was hearing the arguments of Chautala's counsel who stated that the former Haryana Chief Minister should be released during the pendency of his appeal against his conviction and sentence in the corruption case.

"We will pass appropriate order," the court said after hearing the submissions of Senior Advocate N. Hariharan who represented the Chautala.

As per Chautala's earlier plea, he was convicted for a period of four years and he had already undergone imprisonment of five years and six months, and the further jail term is a violation of settled judicial decisions of the Supreme Court.

His plea stated that Chautala is around 87-year-old, and was suffering from multiple ailments and progressive permanent disability of residual paralysis of both lower limbs and left upper limb, and even as per jail record, the petitioner (sentenced for RI of 4 years) has already undergone 5 years 6 months and 14 days (as on May 1) but the petitioner is not released from the prison," his plea read.

In pursuant to his petition, the jail authorities calculated the actual physical incarceration of the petitioner in the present case at 5 years 6 months.

Still, instead of releasing the petitioner, they had forwarded a letter to the Special Judge, CBI, Rouse Avenue Court apprising that the actual period of custody undergone by the petitioner, it said.

On May 27, the Rouse Avenue Court in the national capital sentenced Chautala to four years in prison and slapped a fine of Rs 50 lakh in connection with the disproportionate assets case, in which he was convicted earlier.