Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Thursday issued a notice to the CBI asking it to respond to former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala’s petition for quashing a police complaint against him for allegedly possessing Rs.6 crore worth assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Justice Ajit Bharihoke issued the notice to the central BVureau of Investigation (CBI) returnable by Sep 19.

“Quash an FIR lodged on April 3, 2006, and order of cognizance taken on charge sheet against him on April 20, 2010, and all subsequent proceedings pending before special judge,” said Chautala’s counsel in the petition.

The charge sheet against Chautala, a haryana legislative assembly member, was filed in Karkardooma court on March 26, 2010.

Chautala, 75, is a five-time chief minister of Haryana and last held the post between July 1999 to March 2005. He currently represents Uchana Kalan constituency of Hissar district in the Haryana assembly.

“The accused was found in possession of assets to the tune of Rs.6.09 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income. It is roughly 189 percent of his income of Rs.3.22 crore between 1993 and 2006 period,” the charge sheet said.

The CBI claimed that Chautala was found in possession of immovable and movable assets worth Rs.7.43 crore, in addition to the expenditure incurred by him for R.1.91 crore during the period.

The agency registered a case in a designated court here in April 2006 and searched 24 premises of the Chautalas in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh, during which it seized Rs.13 lakh and froze five bank accounts containing Rs.1.34 crore belonging to Chautala and his family members.

“The figures are conservative estimates as these are based on registered values or valuation reports to calculate the acquisition cost,” said the CBI.