High Court acquits Punjab AAP MLA, seven others in 2013 molestation case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted AAP MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura and seven others in the harassment and assault case filed in 2013 after a compromise was reached between the two parties.

Accepting the petition, the Bench of Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya set aside the order of a court in Punjab’s Tarn Taran last September, which found the MLA and seven others guilty and sentenced them to four years in prison.

The bench also quashed the FIR registered at Tarn Taran police station in March 2013 under different sections of the IPC along with provisions of the SC/ST Act.

The complaining woman, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, had alleged that she was assaulted by the accused, including some police personnel from Lalpura and Tarn Taran, on March 3, 2013.

The incident took place when the complainant, along with her family members, was visiting Tarn Taran for a wedding ceremony. At that time Lalpura was a taxi driver.

The court, in its verdict on Monday, March 30, 2026, acquitted all eight persons, including the MLA from Khadoor Sahib assembly seat, of all charges to all intents and purposes.

The court noted that the applicants did not have any criminal history.

The court panel said, “The alleged crimes are not heinous and cannot be described as a crime against society; nor do they show that the applicants are mentally unstable. Moreover, the incident dates back to approximately 13 years ago and there has been no negativity between the parties since then.” he said.

“Since the disputes between the parties have been resolved amicably through conciliation, the pending appeals against the conviction on the merits will hinder the peaceful coexistence of the parties even after the resolution of the disputes,” the court said. he said.

The petitioners and the complainant reached a settlement on February 4.

A report by the Chief Magistrate of Tarn Taran dated March 25 stated that the settlement reached between the parties did not involve any pressure, coercion or undue influence.

It was also stated that there was no ongoing criminal case against the petitioners and they were not declared persons.

The state lawyer and the defendant’s lawyer accepted the compromise and stated that they had no objection to the cancellation of the conviction, sentence order and FIR.

The Supreme Court relied on the Supreme Court decision in Gian Singh v. State of Punjab in 2012 and other cases; In these cases, it was held that criminal cases of a predominantly civil character, especially those arising from commercial transactions or marital relations or family disputes, should be annulled when the parties resolve their disputes among themselves by reaching a compromise in good faith.

The court also took cognizance of the 2012 SC judgment in Shiji alias Pappu and others v. Radhika and another case in which criminal proceedings for offenses under Sections 354 and 394 of the IPC were set aside as the parties reached a compromise and there was no chance of conviction.

Further, even if the criminal proceedings have resulted in conviction in cases of non-compoundable offenses and a settlement between the parties has been effected thereafter, the conviction can be set aside by the court in exercise of its inherent powers to secure the ends of justice, as per the 2022 SC judgment in Ramgopal and another judgment in State of Madhya Pradesh.

“A perusal of the allegations in the FIR and the aforesaid report reveals that the present case is predominantly private in nature and falls within the category of cases which may be quashed by the high court in exercise of its jurisdiction under Section 482 CrPC, as per the law laid down in the aforesaid orders,” the HC order said. he said.