JBT scam: HC seeks CBI response on Sanjiv Kumar's plea

The Delhi High court on Monday sought response of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Indian Administrative Service officer Sanjiv Kumar's appeal against his conviction and 10-year jail term in the case of illegal recruitments of teachers in Haryana.

Justice Mukta Gupta issued a notice to the probe agency on the plea filed by Kumar, who was convicted and sentenced along with former Haryana Chief Minister O P Chautala and 53 others in the case of illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in 2000.

The high court has fixed the matter for further hearing on April 8. Kumar, the then Director of Primary Education in Haryana, had initially exposed the scam after he filed a plea in the Supreme Court. Later, he was also found to be involved in the scam during a CBI probe.

On February 7, Chautala moved the high court against his conviction and sentence awarded in the JBT scam. He has also sought interim bail in the case.

The high court, on Chautala's plea, issued a notice to the CBI and sought his medical records from jail authorities. Kumar along with O P Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala and 52 others were sentenced to varying jail terms in the case by a special CBI court on January 22.

Apart from the Chautalas and Kumar, Chautala's former Officer on Special Duty Vidya Dhar and political advisor to the then Haryana CM Sher Singh Badshami were also given 10-year jail terms.

The others who have been given 10-year jail term are Madan Lal Kalra, Durga Dutt Pradhan, Bani Singh, Ram Singh and Daya Saini. Apart from them, one convict has been handed five-year jail and the rest 44 were given four years of imprisonment.

Among the 55 convicts, 16 were women officials. The special CBI court, on January 16, had convicted all of the 55 accused in the case.