The beleaguered Badal family got a reprieve on Tuesday with a local court granting regular bail to former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh in the disproportionate assets case.

Special Judge S K Goyal granted bail to the father-son duo on a bail bond of Rs 2 million each and a surety of like amount.

Reading out from the 80-page order, the judge observed that all those conditions, which lie in the Laloo Prasad Yadav case would be binding on both the accused.

He directed the Badals not to tamper with records, influence witnesses or leave the country without prior permission.

The judge also directed them to deposit their passports with the court. The Ropar chief judicial magistrate would issue the release order of the Badals after furnishing of the bail bonds.

Badal and his son Sukhbir were sent to judicial custody on December 1 after the court rejected their bail pleas.  

The Supreme Court had on Monday directed the special judge to decide on Tuesday on the bail plea of Badals

During arguments, Badals' counsel contended hat the state government's November 17 notification, giving jurisdiction to the Ropar Special Court to try the case, was 'null and void'

The prosecution submitted that several properties of Badals mentioned in the charge sheet were in the district and as such the case should be tried in Ropar.

The SAD leaders' counsel submitted that prior sanction to prosecute the father-son duo was mandatory as Badal, being a legislator and Sukhbir, a Member of Parliament, were public servants.

The prosecution said no prior sanction was needed as Sukhbir was being prosecuted under section 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Badal had left the office of chief minister at the time of registration of the case.    

Hailing the court verdict Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee chief G S Tohra said Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had got a 'befitting reply'.

"The people of Punjab will soon come to know the truth behind Amarinder Singh's hollow claims on corruption," he said.