Search at ex-MLA Karan Singh Dalal's house led to DA case against Om Prakash Chautala

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

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Chandigarh, May 23

It was during a search at former Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal’s houses in 2005 that a document containing a list of Om Prakash Chautala’s properties was recovered, which led to the registration of the disproportionate assets (DA) case against the five-time Chief Minister. The case ended in his conviction on May 21.

Document on properties

The raid at my house was carried out as part of the JBT scam probe though it was me who was pursuing that case against Chautalas. I had collected information and put it in a form of a charge sheet, which was recovered from my house. — Karan Singh Dalal, former Cong MLA

During the course of the investigation into the JBT teachers’ scam (regarding an FIR registered in 2004), a search was conducted at Dalal’s house on April 7, 2005, which led to the recovery of a “memorandum of charge sheet against OP Chautala”. The document listed 43 properties of Chautalas, both movable and immovable, worth Rs 1,467 crore.

It carried signatures of Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda, then Chief Minister, and present Leader of Opposition Shamsher Singh Surjewala, Harpal Singh, Dalal and other members. The information was passed on to the state government and after approval, the CBI registered the DA case against Chautala on April 3, 2006.

“The raid at my house was carried out as part of the JBT scam investigation though it was me who was pursuing that case against the Chautalas. I had collected most of the information related to them and put it in a form of a charge sheet which was recovered from my house. In fact, the CBI didn’t investigate some properties,” said Dalal. He added that once the charge sheet was prepared, some Congress leaders backed out from signing it but he managed to obtain signatures from some.

He said Chautala had harassed him and his family and he had taken a vow to take revenge. He was a witness in the case.

It was alleged in the FIR that Chautala, while functioning as the Chief Minister from July 24, 1999, to March 5, 2005, in collusion with his family members and others, accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the extent of Rs 1,467 crore.

During the course of the investigation, searches were conducted at 24 places and a large number of documents and articles were seized.

In the charge sheet, the period for the calculation of DA was fixed from May 24, 1993, to May 31, 2006, as during this period, Chautala as MLA and CM amassed the maximum assets. The CBI alleged that he was possessing DA worth Rs 6.09 crore but finally in the court, assets worth Rs 2.81 crore could be proved, which was 103 per cent of his income.

During the trial, Chautala stated that Dalal happened to be a relative of the then Chief Minister BS Hooda and the case had been lodged due to political rivalry and to tarnish his image.