Supreme Court gives Simarjeet Singh Bains 2-day protection from arrest

New Delhi, February 1

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Faced with a warrant of arrest, Lok Insaaf Party MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains got a reprieve on Tuesday from the Supreme Court, which ordered the Punjab Police not to arrest him till February 3.

A Bench led by CJI NV Ramana initially proposed to protect him from any coercive action till February 23 to enable him to file nomination papers and campaign for the February 20 Assembly polls.

However, it chose to give him protection from arrest for two days and posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday after advocate Gagan Gupta, representing the complainant, pointed out it was not a case of a political vendetta at the time of elections and that the rape FIR was lodged long time back.

Gupta said several criminal cases had been filed against the complainant after she lodged the rape FIR. “He (Bains) is a threat to the society,” he submitted.

Stating that a separate petition had been filed by the victim, he demanded it should be listed together for hearing to enable him to satisfy the Bench that Bains was not entitled to any relief.

Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi submitted on behalf of the MLA that it was a case of political vendetta. He alleged the accused MLA moved the top court on the eve of elections for relief but the case had been going on in the high court where a status report had been filed revealing as many as 20 cases were pending against him.

The court ordered that the plea of the woman be also listed on Thursday along with Bains’ petition.

Bains — an MLA from Atam Nagar Assembly constituency — has challenged an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court refusing to stay a non-bailable warrant issued by the trial court in Ludhiana against him after he failed to appear in a case of violation of Covid norms.

The top court had on Monday granted protection from arrest to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a drugs case and wondered why several criminal cases were suddenly coming out on the eve of the Assembly polls. —