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Ex-minister Anmol Gagan Maan, 3 others acquitted in 2021 protest case
The other acquitted AAP leaders include Rajwinder Kaur Gill, Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Gill, and Dr Sunny Singh Ahluwalia.
A local court in Chandigarh on Tuesday acquitted former Punjab cabinet minister and Kharar MLA Anmol Gagan Maan and three other senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in an FIR registered against them in 2021 at Sector 39 police station.
The other acquitted AAP leaders include Rajwinder Kaur Gill, Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Gill, and Dr Sunny Singh Ahluwalia.
The case was filed on the complaint of ASI Mahabir Singh of the UT Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 188, 323, 332, and 353. The prosecution alleged that on August 29, 2021, AAP leaders, including Anmol Gagan Maan, gathered at Sector 37 to encircle the Punjab BJP office in violation of the district collector’s orders.
When the AAP leaders allegedly tried to break police barricades and instigate party members, water cannons were used. The police also claimed the protesters injured four lady constables, which led to the registration of the case. The trial began in February this year after charges were framed.
Defence counsel PIP Singh argued that the prosecution’s case was undermined by critical discrepancies. “These included a flawed site plan that did not show the BJP office or barricades, the prosecution’s failure to conduct photography or seize call records, and the presence of only minor scratches on the injured constables,” he told the court.
