AAP MLA Raman Arora, who was arrested on September 4 in a fresh corruption case, has approached the high court, challenging his arrest in a criminal case registered against him on August 23.
Arora, a legislator from Jalandhar Central, was arrested on May 23 following a month-long investigation by the state vigilance bureau. He and Jalandhar municipal corporation’s assistant town planner, Sukhdev Vashisht, were accused by VB of identifying ongoing or completed commercial and residential construction projects and serving them violation notices. According to the VB allegations, the duo then asked for a bribe to settle the matter.
Arora secured bail from the high court on September 3. However, even before he was to be released on bail, he was arrested by the vigilance bureau on September 4 in a fresh corruption case.
According to the FIR registered at Rama Mandi police station on August 23, Arora was accused of extorting money from a Jalandhar-based parking lot contractor, Ramesh Kumar.
“The petitioner is being harassed and implicated in criminal cases one after the other on account of differences within the party and with the intention to pressurise the petitioner to resign as MLA,” the plea claims.
{{/usCountry}}“The petitioner is being harassed and implicated in criminal cases one after the other on account of differences within the party and with the intention to pressurise the petitioner to resign as MLA,” the plea claims.
{{/usCountry}}The plea claimed that no ‘grounds of arrest’ were intimated to him before or at the time of arrest. The plea challenges production warrants issued by a judicial magistrate on September 3 and further seeks quashing of orders by the judicial magistrate whereby his arrest was allowed and subsequently he was sent on police remand.
The plea was listed for hearing before the bench of justice Tribhuvan Dahiya, which listed it for further hearing on September 16, asking the government counsel to take instructions. Detailed order of the proceedings is awaited.