Five-time Haryana CM, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala passes away

Chandigarh: Five-time Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo, Om Prakash Chautala passed away on Friday at the age of 89 after a cardiac arrest at his residence in Gurugram.

Om Prakash Chautala was son of Devi Lal, the former Deputy Prime Minister and survived by two sons — Abhay Singh Chautala and Ajay Singh Chautala.

Om Prakash Chautala was born on 1 January 1935 in village Chautala of Sirsa and became the Chief Minister for the first time on 2 December 1989.

The former Haryana Chief Minister breathed his last at around 12 noon in Medanta hospital in Gurugram.

He had difficulty in breathing and was undergoing treatment in Medanta for the last three-four years.

On Friday, when his health suddenly deteriorated, he was brought to the emergency ward of Medanta but he suffered a cardiac arrest and could not be saved.

Abhay Singh Chautala is a former MLA from the Ellenabad constituency and has also been the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Legislative Assembly from October 2014 till March 2019.

Chautala’s great grandson Dushyant Chautala was the Deputy Chief Minister in the previous BJP-led government in Haryana.

Chuatala was released prematurely after the Delhi government in 2021 passed an order granting a six-month special remission to those who have served nine-and-half years of their 10-year prison sentence.

Since the Indian National Lok Dal supremo had already served nine years and nine months of his sentence, he was eligible for release.

In 2013, Chautala and his son Ajay were sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption in a teacher recruitment scam.

Special CBI judge Vinod Kumar had shown no leniency towards the 78-year-old Chautala and his 51-year-old son as he handed the punishment.

On January 16, 2013, the court had held father and son along with 53 others guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 teachers in the state in 2000.

IANS