Chandigarh court allows anticipatory bail to 3 AAP MLAs of Punjab

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, February 8

A local court has granted anticipatory bail to three MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party, Punjab, in a two-year-old case registered against them by the Chandigarh Police.

Gurmeet Singh Haher, Manjit Singh and Jai Krishan Singh approached the court for pre-arrest bail through counsel Ankur Chaudhrie.

The Chandigarh Police had registered a case against 10 AAP leaders, including Bhagwant Mann, Gurmeet Singh Haher, Manjit Singh and Jai Krishan Singh, for allegedly pelting the police with stones during a demonstration held opposite the MLA hostel on January 10, 2020.

The police alleged that the AAP workers, instigated by the leaders, pelted them with stones when they were stopped near the MLA hostel. The leaders were going towards the official residence of the Punjab Chief Minister when they were stopped due to the imposition of Section 144. Mann has already been granted pre-arrest bail by the court. While allowing the applications, the court directed them to join the investigation within next 10 days.

Ankur Chaudhrie, counsel for the AAP leaders, argued that the applicants were members of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. The present FIR is an outcome of the political vendetta of the party in power just to attach a stigma to their reputation as the elections were due in near future. The police had registered the present FIR in haste without properly verifying the facts and the allegations levelled against them were purely a work of fiction.

The public prosecutor argued that the accused, along with other workers, had committed the offense of rioting, disobeying the DM’s orders and assault on public servants, which were serious in nature.

After hearing the arguments, Dr Rajneesh, Additional Sessions Judge, Chandigarh, while allowing the applications, directed them to join the investigation before the IO/SHO concerned within 10 working days.

In the event of arrest, the applicants are ordered to be released on bail on furnishing bail bonds of Rs50,000 with one surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the SHO/arresting officer, subject to conditions that the applicants will make themselves available in the investigation/trial of the case as and when required, they will not influence the prosecution witnesses in any manner and they will not leave the country without the prior permission of the court.