Om Prakash Chautala


Om Prakash Chautala is a former Chief Minister of Haryana from Indian National Lok Dal. He is a convicted scammer of illegally recruiting over 3,000 unqualified teachers, and is currently serving life imprisonment in Delhi's Tihar Jail.

Biography

Chautala is the son of Chaudhari Devi Lal, a former Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was married to Sneh Lata, who died in August 2019. He has two sons, Ajay Singh Chautala and Abhay Singh Chautala, and three daughters. Abhay is MLA from Ellenabad and his grandson Dushyant Chautala is a former MP, Lok Sabha from Hisar. He was the Chief Minister of Haryana from 2 December 1989 to 2 May 1990, from 12 July 1990 to 17 July 1990, again from 22 March 1991 to 6 April 1991 and, finally, from 24 July 1999 to 5 March 2005. Politically, he had been part of NDA and Third Front at national level.

Recruitment scam

In June 2008 OP Chautala and 53 others were charged in connection with the appointment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in the state of Haryana during 1999–2000. In January 2013 a New Delhi court sentenced Chautala and his son Ajay Singh Chautala to ten years' imprisonment under various provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Chautala was found guilty of illegally recruiting over 3,000 unqualified teachers. A CBI investigation was ordered by the Supreme Court based on a writ filed by the former director of primary education Sanjeev Kumar, a 1989 batch IAS officer.
His sentence has been upheld by the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court.