Punjab may face another bye-election after High Court verdict on MLA’s conviction
Kanwar Inder singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ November 18,2025
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday refused to grant relief to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Khadoor Sahib, Manjinder Singh Lalpura, who had sought a stay on his four-year jail sentence awarded by a lower court in a molestation case.
The case pertains to an incident dating back to March 3, 2013, when Lalpura was working as a taxi driver. He, along with several others, was accused of assaulting and molesting a woman during a wedding ceremony. The woman alleged that Lalpura and his aides used casteist remarks, misbehaved with her, and physically assaulted her and her family.
From working as a taxi driver in Tarn Taran to becoming one of the most talked-about legislators in Punjab, the 40-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Khadoor Sahib has travelled a long road. But his recent conviction in a molestation case has cast a long shadow over a career marked as much by sharp rise.
A court in Tarn Taran had sentenced Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator from Khadoor Sahib Manjinder Singh Lalpura and six others to four years in prison, two days after they were convicted in a 12-year-old molestation and assault case involving a woman from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.
The verdict was delivered by additional sessions judge Prem Kumar, who also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on Lalpura, with varying amounts levied on the other convicts.
The court awarded the sentence to the sitting MLA under the SC/ST Act for four years, three years under Section 354, one year under Section 506 and one year under Section 323 of the Indian Penal Code. All the sentences will run concurrently.
