Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 28 (IANS) A Delhi court has farmed charges against former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, his son Ajay and 59 others, and paved the way for their trial in a scam related to appointment of over 3,000 teachers during 1999-2000.

Special Judge Vinod Kumar July 23 framed charges against the accused, including two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, under various penal provisions for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, forgery for purpose of cheating, using as genuine a forged document, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The court discharged one accused.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed charge sheet against 62 accused in 2008. Three accused have died since then.

“This is the case where most of the accused persons are senior citizens and, therefore, it is necessary that this case should be disposed of as early as possible. I fix this case for prosecution evidence which will start from Aug 19, on day to day basis,” said Judge Vinod Kumar.

Sanjiv Kumar, a self-proclaimed whistle-blower, and Chautala’s former officer on special duty (OSD) Vidya Dhar are the two civil servants named in the charge sheet.

The CBI alleged that Chautala and his son forged documents to appoint 3,206 teachers.

The probe agency Feb 17, 2005, carried out searches at 16 places and claimed to have unearthed disproportionate assets possessed by Sanjiv Kumar to the tune of Rs.80.33 lakh.

The then director of primary education Sanjiv Kumar, a 1989 batch IAS officer, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court alleging that the Chautala government resorted to corrupt practices while recruiting junior basic training (JBT) teachers in 2000.

The apex court in its order Nov 25, 2003, directed the CBI to take up the investigation into the case.