E-Paper
Ludhiana West byelection: Over one-third candidates face criminal charges
As per the Election Commission of India (ECI) norms, candidates contesting elections are mandatorily required to disclose all criminal cases pending against them in their nomination papers, including the details of FIRs, charges framed, and convictions, if any
As the Ludhiana West assembly byelection draws near, disclosures made in nomination papers of the candidates have revealed that nearly 36% of the contesting candidates are facing criminal charges, with one convicted candidate.
According to data from the Election Commission of India (ECI), five out of 14 candidates in the fray have declared criminal cases against them in their nomination papers.
Among these Jatinder Sharma of the National Lok Seva Party is the only declared convicted candidate. As per his affidavit, Kumar was convicted by a Malerkotla court in August, 2010, under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC, relating to cheating and criminal breach of trust. However, he has filed an appeal, and the case is currently under revision before the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Former cabinet minister and Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu has disclosed two pending cases. The first involves an FIR lodged under Sections 353, 186, and 34 of the IPC, relating to obstruction and assault on a public servant. The case, registered in February 2024, is currently being heard in the local court where charges are yet to be framed.
Ashu is also facing a second case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The charges include Sections 3, 4, 44, 45, and 70 of the Act, dealing with money laundering and concealing proceeds of crime. As in the previous case, no charges have been framed yet.
Independent candidate Gurdeep Singh Kehlon has revealed multiple pending cases against him in his affidavit. These include four FIRs registered in 2018 and 2019. Some of these are registered under sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, although specific charges and their descriptions remain unspecified in the nomination documents.
Another independent candidate, Neetu Shutteranwala, is facing a criminal case registered under FIR dated 21 March 2020. His case, is currently being heard in a Ludhiana court. The charges include Sections 4 and 7 of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, Section 66 of the IT Act, Sections 420, 270, 276, and 188 of the IPC along with Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act. The case relates to allegedly promoting home-made medicines during the COVID-19 period in a manner that breached health norms.
Lastly, Navneet Gopi, the candidate from Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), has declared a pending criminal case registered dated March 6, 2023. The case is under Section 283 of the IPC, related to obstruction of the public way.
As per the Election Commission of India (ECI) norms, candidates contesting elections are mandatorily required to disclose all criminal cases pending against them in their nomination papers, including the details of FIRs, charges framed, and convictions, if any.
