Tarn Taran: Khadoor Sahib MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura has been sentenced to four years in prison by the Tarn Taran district court in a serious case dating back 12 years. The verdict raises questions not only about the MLA’s future but also about his party’s ethics and candidate selection ahead of upcoming elections.
Additional Sessions Judge Prem Kumar delivered the sentence for an incident that took place on March 3, 2013. At the time, Lalpura was working as a taxi driver and faced allegations of molestation, physical assault, and tearing the clothes of a woman who had come for a marriage. The victim, belonging to a Scheduled Caste, had lodged complaints that Lalpura and other taxi drivers hurled casteist abuses and attacked her near a palace close to Goindwal Sahib.
The case had created nationwide uproar, prompting the Supreme Court to take suo moto notice and provide paramilitary security for the victim.
Besides Lalpura, five police officials — Davinder Kumar, Saraj Singh, Ashwani Kumar, Tarseem Singh, and Harjinder Singh — were also found guilty. The officers were accused of failing to provide justice to the victim and attempting to block the case in the aftermath of the incident.
