Former minister Henry acquitted in 10-yr-old case

Jalandhar, February 16

Former Punjab minister and Congress leader Avtar Henry was on Friday acquitted by a Jalandhar court in a 10-year-old case for the alleged violation of Section 125-A (penalty for filing false affidavit) of the Representation of People Act, 1951.

The court of Dr Gagandeep Singh Garg of Special NRI Court, passed the order in the presence of Henry. The Navi Baradari police station had presented a kalandra against Henry in the case in 2014 in a complaint regarding dual citizenship. The trial in the main citizenship case, however, remains pending. Following the case, Henry’s vote was cancelled in January 2017, days ahead of the Assembly polls in that year on the orders of then Returning Officer Barjinder Singh. Henry’s son Bawa Henry had to then jump into the poll fray. He contested the election and had won. Henry had won four elections in a row and wielded a lot of power.

The Congress leader’s Indian passport was annulled on November 30, 2012, on the orders of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The directions came after Henry’s son from his first wife, Gurjeet Sanghera, had alleged that his father held a British passport since 1969. It was alleged that the ex-minister’s Indian citizenship had ceased too, and that he never acquired it again. Gurjeet had also alleged that his estranged father held passports of two countries — the UK and India — at the same time.