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2008 assault case: Aman Arora gets interim stay on conviction
Sangrur court clears the way for the minister to unfurl the Tricolour in Amritsar on R-Day; The court order made it clear that this is an interim relief and the final orders would be delivered on the next date of hearing i.e. January 31. The district court had — after a thorough hearing of the arguments for nearly 10 hours on Wednesday — reserved its order and listed the matter for pronouncement of order on Thursday
In a relief to Punjab cabinet minister Aman Arora, a Sangrur court on Thursday stayed his conviction in a 2008 assault case until January 31. Arora holds the new and renewable energy, printing and stationery, employment generation, and training and governance reforms portfolios in the Bhagwant Mann cabinet.
The court order made it clear that this is an interim relief and the final orders would be delivered on the next date of hearing i.e. January 31. The district court had — after a thorough hearing of the arguments for nearly 10 hours on Wednesday — reserved its order and listed the matter for pronouncement of order on Thursday.
On December 21 last year, a Sunam court sentenced Arora, his 85-year-old mother and eight others to two-year jail in the assault and trespass case.
Arora, who is an Aam Aadmi Party MLA from the Sunam constituency of Patiala district, had to file an appeal in the district court on January 10 after he was sentenced in December last year to two years of rigorous imprisonment in a 2008 assault case against his brother-in-law, Rajinder Deepa.
Soon after the hearing, Arora said, “Truth has prevailed. Now, I will unfurl the flag in Amritsar on Republic Day.”
On the sidelines of this case, Anil Kumar Tayal, a Mansa resident, had sought directions in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the high court for excluding the name of Arora from the list of dignitaries unfurling the national flag on Republic Day. Arora had given an affidavit in the high court stating that he wouldn’t unfurl the flag on Republic Day until his conviction was stayed. “The only thing that was stopping me from unfurling the flag was the conviction, which has now been stayed by the district court,” he said.
The court – in its order – said that it needed sufficient time to go through voluminous record and, therefore, was unable to pass the final order on the applications.
“The undersigned (session judge) woke up today i.e. 25.01.2024 at 5:00 a.m. to go through the records, arguments and case laws relied upon by the parties, but despite devoting considerable time to the record, undersigned could not go through the bulky record due to paucity of time,” the court order read.
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on January 5 had written to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, raising a question on why the convict has not been divested of membership thus disregarding apex court directions.
Purohit, in his letter, had also cited a judgment of the Supreme Court, according to which an MLA stands divested of membership if convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for a term not less than two years by a trial court. A delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday had sought the governor to forbid Arora from unfurling the national flag on Republic Day.
