Punjab and Haryana high court quashes conviction of AAP MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura, 10 others in molestation case

CHANDIGARH: In a major respite to Punjab AAP MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura, Punjab and Haryana high court has quashed his conviction in a molestation case.HC held that the allegation establishes that the case is of ‘predominantly private nature' and falls in the category of cases that can be quashed by high court in exercise of its inherent jurisdiction."The petitioners have no criminal antecedents. The offences alleged are not heinous in nature and cannot be termed as crime against society; nor do they show mental depravity of the petitioners. Besides, the incident is about 13 years old and nothing untoward has happened between the parties thereafter. Since disputes between the parties have been amicably resolved by way of compromise, decision on the pending appeals against conviction on merit will hamper their peaceful co-existence even after resolution of disputes," Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya said while allowing an appeal filed by Lalpura and others.At the time of the alleged incident in Sept 2013, Lalpura was working as a taxi driver. According to the complaint, a Dalit woman — then 19 years old — and her family members were attending a wedding when a taxi driver and a few other men molested her. She resisted, but was assaulted by the molesters. A police team arrived on the scene, but they too allegedly assaulted the woman. A video of the incident was shared widely on social media, after which Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance and directed the authorities to provide protection to the woman's family.In Sept 2025, a Tarn Taran court convicted 11 people, including Lalpura and six policemen and sentenced them to four years' imprisonment. They appealed in HC, which has now quashed the conviction against all 11.Lalpura had joined AAP in 2013, became president of the party's district unit and contested the 2022 assembly elections from Khadoor Sahib assembly constituency in Tarn Taran district on an AAP ticket, which he won by nearly 16,500 votes.