Two Haryana MLAs, charged with abetting the suicide of a Sarpanch in Karnal district, on Saturday surrendered before a CBI judge in Panchkula after being denied relief by courts in the two-year-old case.
O.P. Jain, an Independent MLA from Panipat Rural, and Zile Ram Singh, ruling Congress legislator from Assandh and former Chief Parliamentary Secretary, surrendered in connection with the death of Karam Singh (60) and were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, Mr. Jain’s counsel said.
Mr. Jain’s Personal Assistant, named in the charge sheet, also surrendered along with the two MLAs before the special CBI judge at the Panchkula district court who fixed the next date of hearing on Monday.
Their anticipatory bail pleas had been turned down by various courts, including Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court.
The case pertains to the death of Karam Singh, a former Sarpanch of Kambopura village in Karnal, on June 7, 2011.
Singh’s son Rajinder has alleged that Mr. Jain and Mr. Sharma used to take money from people on the pretext of giving them government jobs.
Karam Singh had also given money to them for jobs for his relatives, but they did not deliver. The MLAs even refused to return the money, he alleged.
The charge sheet said that Karam Singh kept asking for the money from the accused, but in vain. After that, he allegedly committed suicide.
The MLAs were earlier booked for murder, but after investigations, they were charged with abetment to suicide.
On Mr. Rajinder’s plea, the High Court ordered handing over of the case to CBI on August 30, last year.
Because of the case, Mr. Zile Ram had to resign from his post of Chief Parliamentary Secretary.
The two MLAs have, however, maintained that they had no role in the death of Karam Singh.
