SHIMLA (TIP): Congress legislator Ram Kumar Chaudhary, who has been booked in the Jyoti murder case and lodged in the Ambala jail, took oath as an MLA here today. Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail administered oath to him in his chamber in the Vidhan Sabha complex. Ram Kumar was elected from the Doon constituency in Solan district recently. He had been trying to evade the police ever since he was charged with murder by the Haryana Police and could not take oath with other MLAs during the winter session held in Dharmasala early this month. He surrendered before the police on January 8 after the high court rejected his plea for anticipatory bail.

The Haryana Police brought him to the Vidhan Sabha complex here from Ambala under heavy security cover. Ram Kumar claimed he was innocent and had never confessed to the crime. “I am innocent, it is conspiracy by my political opponents,” he said. He said he would continue to serve his constituency from the jail. He had already submitted his list of priorities to the Speaker, he said. He said he had faith in the judiciary and would come out clean.