Punjab AAP MLA sentenced to four years in 2013 molestation case

The conviction and sentencing of ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Manjinder Singh Lalpura has triggered a political storm in Punjab. On Friday, a Tarn Taran court sentenced the Khadoor Sahib MLA to four years in prison, days after holding him guilty in a 2013 case of molestation and assault of a Scheduled Caste woman. His immediate incarceration has handed the Opposition fresh ammunition against the AAP government, and raised questions over whether Lalpura can continue as an MLA.

Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA Partap Singh Bajwa declared that Lalpura had forfeited the moral right to sit in the Punjab Assembly, while Shiromani Akali Dal vice-president Ravinder Singh Brahmpura accused the ruling party of “harbouring criminals” and demanded his expulsion.

“The judgment exposes AAP’s true criminal character,” Brahmpura said. Even within AAP, there has been little attempt to defend the MLA. Party spokesperson Neel Garg remarked that “the law has taken its own course. The incident took place before he became an MLA. Our stand is clear — we will not defend any person involved in wrongdoing.”

The legal consequences could be equally stark. Under the Representation of People Act, any legislator sentenced to two years or more faces disqualification.

With Lalpura receiving a four-year jail term, his Khadoor Sahib seat may soon fall vacant, potentially forcing a by-election. That would be an unwelcome prospect for AAP, which swept Punjab in 2022 but has since faced governance challenges and mounting Opposition criticism.

The Tarn Taran court sentenced not just Lalpura but six others to four years’ imprisonment, while three more accused received one-year terms under different sections of the IPC. Additional sessions judge Prem Kumar handed down the punishment under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as well as Sections 354 (assault on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. All the sentences will run concurrently.

The case itself dates back to 3 March 2013. At the time, Lalpura was a taxi driver. According to the complainant, she and her family were attending a wedding in Tarn Taran when she was assaulted by Lalpura and others, including local policemen. A video of the incident drew widespread condemnation, leading the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice. The Court even ordered paramilitary protection for the victim, her cousin who witnessed the assault, and their families.

It has taken more than a decade for the case to reach sentencing. For the survivor, the conviction closes a long, bruising chapter. For AAP, however, it opens a new one — a defensive battle to contain reputational damage while rivals seize the chance to accuse the party of double standards on “clean politics”. The controversy also reignites a broader debate over how candidates facing grave charges continue to find space in electoral politics until courts step in years later.

With PTI inputs