(MOREPIC1) Face2News/Tarn Taran
Intensifying the matter of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura being sentenced to four years by the court, Shiromani Akali Dal leader, constituency in-charge Khadoor Sahib and former MLA, Ravinder Singh Brahmpura, has today addressed a formal letter to Punjab Legislative Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan. In the letter, he has issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding immediate disqualification of the convicted MLA Lalpura from the Assembly.
In a press statement issued here, Brahmpura said that the demand letter sent to the Speaker cites in detail the judicial verdict and the constitutional provisions. He stated, “We have drawn the Speaker’s attention to Section 8(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, which clearly lays down that if a legislator is sentenced to more than two years of imprisonment, his membership stands terminated from the very day of conviction. The Hon’ble Supreme Court, in the landmark Lily Thomas case, has already upheld that such disqualification is immediate and automatic. Thus, the Speaker has no discretion in this matter, but only a constitutional duty which must be carried out without delay.”
Highlighting the shocking findings of the judgment, Brahmpura said, “This is not merely a conviction, but a judicial stamp on the character of a leader of the AAP. The seriousness of the matter becomes deeper as this conviction under the SC/ST Act pertains to atrocities committed against a Dalit woman. The court explicitly recorded that Lalpura, along with his police accomplices, publicly humiliated the victim family with caste-based remarks. Even more disgraceful is the fact that the court termed Lalpura’s defence ‘false and concocted’.”
Regarding the demand letter to the Speaker, Brahmpura added, “We have reminded the Speaker of his constitutional obligation and given him 48 hours’ time. If he attempts to shield a convicted criminal or delays his responsibility, we will be compelled to seek the intervention of the Hon’ble High Court to safeguard democracy.”
Concluding his statement, Brahmpura said that Lalpura’s conviction corroborates the serious charges earlier submitted by him to the Governor, exposing the police-political-criminal nexus flourishing under AAP’s rule. He remarked, “Our struggle is not merely for the disqualification of one MLA, but to restore the sanctity of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and ensure that the rule of law prevails in Punjab, not the rule of goons.”