HC REFUSES TO SUSPEND JAGIR KAUR’S CONVICTION
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday dismissed the plea of Akali Dal leader Jagir Kaur, who had sought a stay on her conviction in a case related to her daughter’s murder.
The court said by not suspending her conviction, she will be caused no irreparable loss. “Rather, if a public figure becomes entitled to hold public office and to continue to do official acts until he or she is judicially absolved of findings against him/her by reason of suspension of conviction, it will adversely affect public interest and even irreparably,” the HC bench of justices AK Mittal and Ramendra Jain said, terming it not a “a fit case” for suspending the conviction. Kaur’s conviction with sentencing of more than 2 years makes her ineligible to contest polls as per the Representation of People Act, 1951.
With this order, she can’t contest assembly polls unless the conviction is suspended by Supreme Court that too before January 18, the last date for filing nominations.
Jagir Kaur had approached court in May 2016, seeking a stay on her conviction.
In April 2000, Jagir Kaur’s daughter Harpreet Kaur had died under mysterious circumstances. Later, an inquiry conducted by the CBI, on the high court’s directions, found Kaur’s involvement. In 2012, she was convicted on various counts — forcible abortion, wrongful confinement, abduction and criminal conspiracy — except murder. In November 2012, the high court admitted her appeal and granted her bail, but did not stay conviction.
The SAD leader had drawn parallels with the case of cricketer turned politician, Navjot Sidhu. She had argued that Supreme Court had stayed his conviction in a road rage case of 1988. The court, however, said that he was a sitting MP when convicted and immediately after the pronouncement of judgment by the high court, he resigned from the membership of the Lok Sabha “to maintain probity and moral values in public life”.