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SAD’s Bibi Jagir Kaur can’t contest polls as SC too rejects her plea
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Akali Dal leader and former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur’s plea for suspension of her conviction in the 2000 murder case of her daughter Harpreet Kaur to enable her contest the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab.
The Supreme Court refused on Tuesday refused to put SAD leader Bibi JAgir Kaur’s conviction on hold in a case related to her daughter’s murder, making the former Punjab minister ineligible to contest the February 4 assembly polls in the state.
A bench comprising justices AK Goel and UU Lalit refused to entertain Kaur’s appeal against the Punjab and Haryana high court order denying her relief. Her counsel, senior advocate Shyam Divan, said the stay of his client’s conviction was necessary to enable her contest the elections. Divan argued she had been sentenced to five years by the trial court only on the charge of criminal conspiracy. She hasn’t been held guilty for the substantial offence of murder, he said.
Also Read | HC dashes hopes of SAD leader Bibi Jagir Kaur, says can’t contest assembly polls for now
Law permits a convicted politician to fight elections if his or her conviction is put in abeyance, which is a rare phenomenon. As per an earlier SC verdict, a lawmaker found guilty loses his or her membership immediately upon the conviction verdict is pronounced.
On January 15, the HC bench of justices AK Mittal and Ramendra Jain had declined to accept Kaur’s contention. Former SGPC chief, Kaur is out on bail. .
