Aman Arora, a minister in the Punjab AAP government, appeared before the Sangrur District Court to contest charges related to assaulting his brother-in-law, which resulted in a two-year sentence. The lower court in Sunam had imposed this sentence. The District Court scheduled a hearing for January 15 in this case and issued notices to both parties.
However, following the sentence on December 21, he did not approach the High Court within the given 30-day period. Before this, Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit had sent a letter to CM Bhagwant Mann asserting that legally Aman Arora couldn’t continue as a minister.
Notably, Arora had also been criticized for unfurling the flag as a minister in Amritsar. He had requested the Chief Minister to retain his ministerial position despite these issues.
The case against Aman Arora stemmed from a family dispute with his brother-in-law Rajinder Deep in 2008, alleging intrusion into his house and assault. Arora and others were implicated in this case, which concluded after 15 years with the Sunam Court sentencing nine individuals, including the now-minister Aman Arora, to two years in prison. However, he had a 30-day window to file an appeal against this verdict.
Governor Purohit informed the CM on January 5 that the court had sentenced Aman Arora to two years. The Supreme Court had mandated in the Lily Thomas case in 2013 that any minister or legislator found guilty would have to be removed from their position. Yet, despite this, Aman Arora assumed the ministerial role without facing any consequences against this sentence.
Meanwhile, Aman Arora, as a ministerial representative, is scheduled to unfurl the national flag on Republic Day in Amritsar, an action deemed highly inappropriate. Republic Day holds significant importance, and such an act of entrusting national responsibilities to an ineligible legislator undermines legal standards, sending a wrong message.
