New Delhi, Jul 2 (IANS): Former Haryana Chief Minister O.P. Chautala, who was serving a 10-year prison term in a teacher recruitment scam case, was released from the Tihar Jail here on Friday after completing due formalities, prison officials said.

According to the jail officials, Chautala, who was already out on parole, reached the Tihar jail premises on Friday morning to complete formalities after which he was released from jail.

Sandeep Goel, Director General (Delhi Prisons), said that Chautala was released after completing necessary formalities.

The Delhi government last month had passed an order granting a six-month special remission to those who have served nine-and-half years of their 10-year prison sentence to decongest jails in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Following Chautala's release, thousands of his supporters spilled over the Delhi-Gurugram border on the Delhi-Jaipur expressway to celebrate.

The supporters were seen carrying photos of Chautala and party flags and sang and danced. To express support for the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo, several party workers travelled from across the Haryana state. Party workers also came from Mewat to join Chautala's release celebration.

Family members of the senior politician expressed happiness and said Chautala has finished his jail-term and his release will be beneficial for the party. It is a great relief not only for Chutala's family but all supporters of the INLD, they said.

Chautala was sent to jail in 2013 in connection with the teacher recruitment scam case.

Chautala, his son Ajay Chautala, and 53 others were convicted and sentenced in the case of illegal recruitment of 3,206 junior basic teachers in 2000 in Haryana. They all were sentenced to jail terms of different tenure by a special CBI court in January 2013.