Chandigarh: A court in Tarn Taran district of Punjab on Friday sentenced Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Khadoor Sahib, to four years in jail, two days after he was convicted in a case of molestation and assault of a Dalit woman in 2013.
Six others, who were also convicted in the case on Wednesday, were also sentenced to four years imprisonment.
In all 10 convicts were awarded imprisonment; seven including the legislator Lalpura, were awarded four-year jail under SC/ST Act while the remaining three were awarded one year jail under different sections of IPC.
The complainant woman, who belongs to the scheduled caste (SC) community, had alleged that she was assaulted by the accused including Lalpura on March 3, 2013 when she had come for a wedding function with her family.
The incident had evoked widespread condemnation and the Supreme Court had taken a suo motu cognisance of the same and directed paramilitary force protection for the victim, her family members including her cousin, who was an eyewitness.
Lalpura was a taxi driver at that time; he contested the 2022 assembly election and defeated Congress’ Ramanjit Sikki.
Meanwhile, Lalpura is the fifth AAP MLA to be arrested by the police or vigilance bureau (VB), though Sanaur MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra who faced a rape charges, had fled from the policy custody on September 2 last; while in May 2022, VB had arrested Vijay Singla on corruption charges, Bathinda rural MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta was also arrested by VB in a corruption case in February 2023. In May last year, the VB had als arrested Jalandhar Central MLA Raman Arora in corruption case.
