E-Paper
Muktsar village sarpanch disqualified over conviction in 2014 criminal case
Muktsar subdivisional magistrate (SDM)-cum-election tribunal Baljit Kaur confirmed on Friday that a verdict was passed a day before. She said that after Gurpreet’s disqualification, the runner-up, Pargat Singh Brar, was declared the sarpanch.
The election tribunal of Muktsar has disqualified Harike Kalan’s newly elected sarpanch Gurpreet Singh due to his conviction in a 2014 criminal case.
Muktsar subdivisional magistrate (SDM)-cum-election tribunal Baljit Kaur confirmed on Friday that a verdict was passed a day before. She said that after Gurpreet’s disqualification, the runner-up, Pargat Singh Brar, was declared the sarpanch.
Brar’s lawyer MS Brar said Gurpreet was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment by a Patiala district court on September 17, 2014, and a penalty of ₹1 lakh was imposed on him after the police had seized 3-kg opium from his possession.
In his election petition challenging Gurpreet’s election, the complainant stated that Gurpreet had mentioned his conviction, but the returning officer deliberately ignored the fact on record.
Gurpreet polled 2,842 votes whereas Pargat Singh Brar polled 2,149 votes during the gram panchayat elections held October 15, 2024. Harike Kalan falls under Muktsar subdivision and the village is a part of Gidderbaha assembly segment being represented by Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Baljit Kaur confirmed that election papers submitted by Gurpreet had a reference to his conviction a decade ago and suspension of the sentence without staying his conviction.
It was probably a misjudgement on the part of the RO, she added.
“Perusal of legal documents says that the Punjab and Haryana high court on October 30, 2015, had suspended the sentence of Gurpreet. The HC had also directed the lower court to release him on bail, but the court never granted a stay to the conviction that made Gurpreet disqualified under Section 8 (1) (f) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,” she added.
