Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)

Declared PO, EX-MLA Bains booked for non-appearance

- HT Correspond­ent letterschd@hindustant­imes.com

LUDHIANA : Ten days after a Ludhiana court declared him a proclaimed offender (PO) in a rape case, police of Friday booked former MLA and Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) chief Simarjeet Singh Bains for non-appearance.

On April 12, judicial magistrate Harsimranj­it Kaur had declared Bains a PO in a rape case after he neither appeared before court, nor responded to warrants.

The former MLA, his brothers Karamjeet Singh Bains, Paramjeet Singh Bains, and aides Sukhchain Singh, Pardeep Kamar, Baljinder Kaur and Jasveer

Kaur have been booked under Section 174A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A person booked under this section can be fined and/or imprisoned for up to three years, and in case the accused has been declared a proclaimed offender, he can be imprisoned for up to seven years and will also be liable to pay a fine.

Division 6 station house officer Madu Bala said efforts are on to arrest the accused.

A 44-year-old complainan­t had alleged that the former

Atam Nagar legislator had raped her multiple times after she approached him for help in a property dispute case. Though the woman had lodged a complaint against Bains in November 16, 2020, an FIR was registered on July 7, 2021 on the court’s directions.

ON APRIL 12, A LOCAL COURT HAD DECLARED BAINS A PO IN A RAPE CASE AFTER HE NEITHER APPEARED BEFORE COURT, NOR RESPONDED TO WARRANTS

17 FIRS against

Bains in 12 years

In the past 12 years, 17 FIRS (including the latest one) have been registered against Bains. The cases include rape, violating Covid protocols, robbery, criminal intimidati­on, illegally restoring power connection­s, defamation, disobeying public servant’s order and assaulting public servant.

 ?? ?? Simarjeet Singh Bains.
Simarjeet Singh Bains.

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