2008 assault case: Court stays minister Arora’s conviction till final judgment

Sangrur : The district court in Sangrur on Wednesday stayed the conviction of cabinet minister Aman Arora in a 2008 assault case, paving the way for him to continue as a minister.

The court stayed the minister’s conviction till the case is decided. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for March 1. Earlier on January 25, the court had put a stay on Arora’s conviction till January 31.

On December 21 last year, a Sunam court sentenced Arora, his 85-year-old mother and eight others to two-year jail in the assault and trespass case. Arora, who is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Sunam constituency of Patiala district, had to file an appeal in the district court on January 10 against his conviction.

Arora was sentenced in December last year to two-year rigorous imprisonment in a 2008 assault case filed by his brother-in-law Rajinder Deepa.

Talking to the media after coming out of the court on Wednesday, Arora said: “This is a big relief for me.”

Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on January 5 had written to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, raising a question on why the convict (Aman Arora) has not been divested of membership thus disregarding apex court directions.

Purohit, in his letter, had also cited a judgment of the Supreme Court, according to which an MLA stands divested of membership if convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for a term not less than two years by a trial court.

Rajinder Deepa, who is the complainant in the case, said: “I will ask my advocates to explore further legal options to challenge the stay on the conviction after going through the detailed order.”