Punjab minister Aman Arora gets 2-year RI for assault

Aman Sood

Patiala, December 21

A Sunam court today convicted and sentenced Punjab minister Aman Arora along with eight others to two years’ rigorous imprisonment for allegedly assaulting his brother-in-law Rajinder Deepa. However, the minister, who said he would now approach a higher court, was granted bail by the court.

The court of Sunam Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Gurbhinder Singh Johal held Arora and others guilty under Sections 323, 452 and 148 of the IPC. Under Section 323, he was sentenced to one-year RI along with Rs 1,000 fine, for the offence under Section 452 (read with 149), he was awarded two-year RI and Rs 5,000 fine. Under Section 148, he was sentenced to two-year imprisonment along with Rs 4,000 fine. All the sentences would run concurrently, the court said.

Arora now faces prospect of being disqualified from the House, but he has one month to appeal against the verdict. Under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a member of the House can be barred if he is convicted of any offence, and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years.

The Act says that the member is to be disqualified from the date of conviction and will remain disqualified for six years.

Official sources in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha say that it is only after the court sends its order on conviction to the Speaker, or a complaint regarding his conviction is made, further course of action may be decided.

The case against Arora has its genesis in a complaint filed in a court in 2013 by Deepa. He had claimed that Arora and nine others had trespassed his house and assaulted him in 2008. Both Arora and Deepa live across the road and the matter pertains to a property nearby.

In his complaint, Deepa had named Arora, his mother Parmeshwari Devi, Rajinder Singh Raja, Jagjiwan Ram, Baljinder Singh, Labh Singh, Manjit Singh (now deceased), Chitwant Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Satgur Singh.

After the verdict, Arora told The Tribune that he would approach a higher court to get justice. “Deepa and I had a dispute pertaining to a plot owned by my mother, and there were cross FIRs lodged in 2008. However just before the 2012 elections, he approached me to resolve the issue. While I withdrew my complaint and the FIR against him was cancelled, he filed a complaint in a court,” said Arora.

Welcoming the order, Deepa, who is now SAD general secretary, said Arora and his accomplices had attacked him and misused their clout to get false FIR registered against him and his wife. “I had to approach a court to get justice,” he said. At present, Arora holds the portfolios of Employment Generation and Training, Governance Reforms and Removal of Grievances, New & Renewable Energy Resources and Printing and Stationary in the Cabinet.