Disproportionate Assets Case: Former Haryana CM OP Chautala Sentenced To Four Years Imprisonment

The former Haryana chief minister was present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.

Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala (File Photo: Getty Images)

New Delhi: A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Delhi on Friday sentenced former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala to four years imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case, ANI reported. Imposing a fine of Rs 50 lakhs on Chautala, the court also ordered the confiscation of four of his properties.

The former Haryana chief minister was present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.

Special Judge (PC Act) Vikas Dhull had last week convicted Chautala stating the accused had failed to satisfactorily account for such disproportionality by proving his source of income or means by way of which, he acquired assets during this period

According to the CBI FIR, Chautala, while functioning as the Haryana Chief Minister during the period from July 24, 1999 to March 5, 2005, in collusion with his family members and others, accumulated assets, immovable and movable, disproportionate to his known lawful sources of income, in his name, in the names of his family members and others to the extent of Rs 1,467 crores, the news agency reported.

The FIR stated that the accused accumulated enormous wealth and invested the same throughout the country in the shape of thousands of acres of land, multi complexes, palatial residential houses, hotels, farmhouses, business agencies, petrol pumps and other investments apart from investments in foreign countries.

The FIR also stated that 43 immovable properties in all, apart from cash and jewellery were accumulated.

Apart from 43 alleged properties listed in the FIR, additional properties were also suspected to be of the accused family.

An investigation with regard to additional properties was also conducted for ascertaining the link of the accused family with the said properties.

The chargesheet filed in the matter after the conclusion of the investigation stated that Chautala had acquired assets, both immovable and movable, which were disproportionate to his known source of income.

The disproportionate assets were calculated to be Rs 6,09,79,026 and the percentage of DA (Disproportionate Assets) was 189.11 percent of his known sources of income.

Accordingly, the CBI had chargesheeted the accused for the offence under the relevant Section of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In addition to the chargesheet filed against the former chief minister, the CBI had filed two more chargesheets arising out of the present FIR against the sons of the accused, including Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala besides others, which are being tried separately.