Chautalas sent to jail for 10 years, supporters throw bombs

New Delhi, 22 Jan 2013 (PTI): Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala were sentenced to 10 years in jail in teachers recruitment scam on Tuesday.

 

The other three main accused Sanjiv Kumar, Vidya Dhar and Sher Singh Badshami were also awarded 10 years in jail in the case.

 

Shortly after the sentence was pronounced, protestors threw stones and crude bombs into the court complex.

 

Thousands of supporters of INLD Chief Om Prakash Chautala clashed with police which used batons and teargas to control them outside the court which was set to pronounce its sentence against the Chautalas and their assocaites.

 
The supporters had gathered outside the complex in the early hours and clashed with police after it prevented them from entering the court complex. The police used batons and teargas to control the supporters.

 

Security has been tightened around the complex and entry has been restricted in the court. The court work was also affected and lawyers faced problems getting in.

 

On January 16, the court had held 78-year-old Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and 53 others guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers in the state in 2000.

 

They have all been held guilty of cheating, forgery, using fake documents as genuine, conspiracy under the IPC and for abusing their official position under the Prevention of Corruption Act. 

 

The number of supporters, including women, stretched for nearly a kilometre from the court complex with several of them also climbing onto the walls of the premises. Some supporters were also present outside the court room where all the accused, barring Om Prakash Chautala have been produced.