Former CM OP Chautala Convicted, This Time In Disproportionate Assets Case

Pic courtesy The Times of India

Delhi: Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala was on Saturday convicted in the disproportionate assets case. The Rouse Avenue Court will hear arguments on the quantum of punishment on May 26.

Chautala, who was CM from 1995 to 2005, was found guilty of amassing assets amounting to Rs 6.09 crore. The CBI had filed a chargesheet in March 2010, citing that his assets were in stark disproportion to his legitimate income between 1993 and 2006.

Enforcement Directorate corroborated CBI’s findings after attaching his assets worth Rs 3.68 crore in Delhi, Panchkula and Sirsa in a money-laundering case against Chautala in April 2019.

The agencies said the source of income for purchase of these assets was not made official.

Chautala also served a 10-year jail term in a teacher recruitment scam. He was released in July 2021, six months after a Delhi court slapped money-laundering charges in the disproportionate assets case.

Chautala’s elder son Ajay and younger son Abhay face similar charges. Ajay allegedly possessed disproportionate assets worth Rs 27.74 crore, while Abhay’s disproportionate assets were valued at over Rs 119 crore.

Chautala’s grandson Dushyant is the current Deputy CM in the BJP-JJP coalition government in Haryana.