Delhi CM Arvind KejriwalFrom spreading infection during the Covid-19 outbreak, rioting, and protesting, to corruption and attempt to murder; a total of 120 sitting and former lawmakers (MLAs and MPs) are booked for various offences in Punjab that are either under investigation or under trial at the courts.
Those booked include 77 former lawmakers and 43 sitting ones. They include Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s former MLA Alka Lamba and Uttar Pradesh’s former MLA Mukhtar Ansari.
As many as 42 FIRs are under investigation of the state police, while 99 are pending trial in courts, reveals an official affidavit of the Punjab Police accessed by The Indian Express.
As per the affidavit of Sarabjit Singh, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Litigation, Bureau of Investigation, the list includes leaders from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, BJP, Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Kejriwal; Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann; former CM Charanjit Singh Channi; former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal; and former state minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia are among the MLAs and MPs facing FIRs in the state.
Booked under Section 188 of IPC, Disaster Management Act, and sections of Representation of the People Act (violation of poll code)
In the FIRs registered at Mohali, Ferozepur MP Sukhbir Badal; and Delhi CM Kejriwal were booked under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC and Section 126 of Representation of the People Act on February 19, 2022. In both the FIRs, the cases are under investigation and the final report will be filed within two months, as per the affidavit.
Those booked under Section 188 of IPC and Disaster Management Act, 2005, and Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act in FIRs registered in Amritsat include former Punjab ministers Anil Kumar Joshi and Bikram Singh Majithia. The investigation against them is going on.
Similarly, at Jalandhar, AAP MLA Sheetal Angural is booked under Section 188 of IPC and Section 126 of Representation of the People Act. Former LIP MLA Simarjit Singh Bains and AAP MLA Manvinder Singh Giaspura are booked under Section 188 of IPC and Disaster Management Act at Ludhiana. Bains is also booked under Section 127 of Representation of the People Act. At Khanna, Giaspura is also booked under Section 188 of IPC in two separate FIRs.
At Batala, AAP MLA Amansher Singh (Sherry Kalsi); former SAD MLA Sucha Singh Chhotepur; former Congress MLA Fatehjang Singh Bajwa are booked under Section 188 of IPC and under Disaster Management Act. Against Bajwa, police had prepared challan on May 26, 2022, and prosecution sanction is being obtained.
At Patiala, former SAD MLA Harinder Pal Singh Chandumajra; AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra; another AAP MLA Chetan Singh Jauramajra; former SAD MLA Surjit Singh Rakhra and former MLA Dharamvir Gandhi are booked under Section 188 of IPC. Jauramajra is also booked under Disaster Management Act, while Chandumajra is also booked under Representation of the People Act.
At Sangrur, AAP MLA Vijay Inder Singla is booked in three different FIRs registered under Section 188 of IPC. Among the three FIRs against him, the Punjab Police has prepared a cancellation report in the FIR registered against him at police station Sangrur City 1, while in the other two FIRs, the investigation is pending.
At Fatehgarh Sahib, AAP MLA Rupinder Singh Happy is booked under Section 188 of IPC and under Disaster Management Act.
At Ferozepur, former Congress MLA Parminder Singh alias Pinki, and former Congress MLA Gurmeet Singh Sodhi were booked under Section 188 of IPC in February and April 2022. At Malerkotla, former MLA Farzana Alam is booked under Section 188 of IPC.
The cases which are under trial before courts in Punjab under Section 188 of IPC, the list includes the names of former SAD MLA Kanwarjit Singh Rozy, former Congress MLA Ajit lnder Singh Mofar, former MLA and former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Banawali, former SAD MLA Parkash Singh Bhatti, AAP MLA Fauja Singh Sarari, and Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira. AAP MLAs Harpal Cheema, Meet Hayer, Bhagwant Singh Mann, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Master Baldev are also named in an FIR under Section 188 of IPC.
Booked in NDPS, corruption, attempt to murder, and rape case
Former SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia is booked under Sections 25, 27-A, 29 of NDPS Act, Police Station State Crime, Mohali. At present, Majithia is out on bail from the high court.
Former MLAs Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Sadhu Singh Dharmsot, Sangat Singh Gilzian and Brij Bhupinder are facing charges of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Dharamsot and Gilzian are booked under Sections 7, 7 A, 13(1) (A) (2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended by Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and under Section 120-B of IPC at Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Flying Squad, Mohali.
Ashu is booked under Sections 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating), 467 (Forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and Sections 7, 8, 12, 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended by Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, at Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Ludhiana.
AAP MLA Vijay Singla was booked in May 2022 under Sections 7, 8 of Prevention of Corruption Act at Police Station Phase-8. He is out on bail.
Former LIP MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains is facing charges of allegedly raping and sexually harassing a woman and also charges of attempt to murder registered at Ludhiana. He is booked under Sections 376 (rape), 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC at Police Station Division No. 6, Ludhiana. The matter is under trial in court.
Former SAD MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu is facing an FIR registered against him at Police Station Talwandi Sabo under sections of attempt to murder, SC/ST Act, and other sections of IPC. A cancellation report was submitted by the police in this matter on February 2, 2020, but it was returned with a direction to re-investigate the case. The case is now under re-investigation.
Booked under Arms Act/Rioting
Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu is facing charges of assaulting a public servant and rioting under Sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of IPC at Police Station Civil Lines, Bathinda. The case is under re-investigation.
Former LIP MLA Simarjit Singh Bains is facing trial in a rioting, attempt to murder and Arms Act case registered under Sections 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 307 (attempt to murder),148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 120-b (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, 25/27/54/59 of Arms Act at Police Station Sadar, Ludhiana, on June 19, 2009.
Former SAD MLA Joginder Singh Jindu is facing charges of rioting, and under Arms Act, along with other sections of IPC, registered at Police Station Kulgarhi in January 2018.
Booked under National Highways Act, 1956
AAP MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan was booked after an FIR was registered on August 20, 2020, under sections of National Highways Act, 1956, along with other Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of IPC at Police Station Sadar, Tarn Taran.
Current SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, former SAD MLAs Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Darshan Singh Shivalik, Hira Singh Gabria are facing trial in an FIR registered in 2017 under sections of National Highways Act, along with other Sections 431 (Mischief by injury to public road, bridge, river or channel), 283 (Danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of IPC at Police Station Ladowal. The matter is under trial.
AAP MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan was booked after an FIR was registered on August 20, 2020, under sections of National Highways Act, 1956, along with other sections of wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement and negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life. The matter is under trial.
SAD MLAs Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal and Des Raj Dhugga are facing charges under Section 8 (1) of the National Highways Act, 1956, along with sections of rioting, wrongful restraint and criminal conspiracy at Police Station Sujanpur.