Court orders arrest warrants against MLA Simarjeet Bains, others in rape case

Rajneesh Lakhanpal

Legal Correspondent

Ludhiana, November 18

The Court of Judicial Magistrate Harsimranjit Kaur has ordered to issue non-bailable warrants of arrest against Lok-Insaaf party chief Simarjeet Singh Bains, MLA from Atam Nagar constituency, and six others in a rape case registered on the complaint of a 44-year-old woman.

On November 12, the court has ordered issuance of bailable warrants against the MLA and other accused after the filing of chargesheet against them by local police. But none of them appeared before the court today, which led to issuance of arrest warrants.

The FIR was registered with the orders of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Harsimranjit Singh in July 2021. But none of the accused has been arrested till today.

Even after the court orders, the local police took considerable time in registering the FIR. The Shiromani Akali Dal leaders, including Harish Rai Dhanda, had demonstrated against the police. Then the FIR was registered.

On Novmber 16, 2020, the woman had moved an handwritten application to the Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, for registration of FIR against MLA Bains, Kamaljit Singh, Baljinder Kaur, Jasbir Kaur alias Bhabhi, Sukhchain Singh, Paramjit Singh alias Pamma, Gogi Sharma of Ludhiana. She sat on a dharna for a long period outside Commissioner of Police office seeking justice.

But when no FIR was registered, the woman moved to a local court seeking directions for registration of FIR. But the Court of Judicial Magistrate Palwinder Singh did not agree with the contentions of woman.

Against that order, the woman had filed the revision petition before the Court of Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Garg, who had set aside the order of the lower court with the directions to reconsider and pass fresh orders.

In its complaint, the woman has alleged that she came into contact with MLA in a property dispute case but she was allegely trapped.

The woman had alleged that taking advantage of her social and economic vulnerability, Bains raped her repeatedly on the pretext of helping her. She also alleged that the MLA’s brother also started making repeated calls and numerous WhatsApp messages soliciting physical relationship with her.

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