Chautala supporters protest outside Rohini court

Protests broke out at the Delhi court that Tuesday sentenced former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay to 10 years in a corruption case with their supporters hurling stones and even crude, low-intensity bombs.

"Many supporters had gathered outside the Rohini court since morning and tried to enter the court premises. Police resorted to batons and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The crowd calmed down for a while, but started throwing stones and crude bombs as soon as the ruling was delivered," a police official said.

The police then lobbed teargas shells.

"We have deployed over 1,000 police personnel in and around the court premises. We have not detained anyone so far," the official added.

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief and his MLA son were sentenced to 10 years in prison for their involvement in a recruitment scam involving junior basic training teachers. The Haryana opposition leaders tampered with the list of over 3,200 teachers recruited in 1999-2000, when Om Prakash Chautala was chief minister, selecting teachers by taking bribes and also indulging in nepotism and favouritism. - IANS