A court in Sangrur district Thursday stayed the conviction of Punjab Cabinet minister Aman Arora till January 31 in a 2008 assault case.
The court of the District and Sessions judge gave an interim relief to Arora on a petition filed by the minister seeking stay on his conviction.
Arora’s counsel Yogesh Gupta said, “the court stayed the minister’s conviction till January 31 and adjourned the matter for the final pronouncement of the order.”
Arora, who is the MLA from Sunam assembly constituency, had filed an appeal in the district court against his conviction.
The hearing on his appeal took place on Wednesday.
Arora and eight others were sentenced to a two-year imprisonment by a court in Sangrur district on December 21 in a 15-year-old case in which a relative of Arora had accused him of attacking him in his house.
On the complaint of the minister’s brother-in-law Rajinder Deepa, the nine were booked in the matter under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 452 (house-trespass) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt).
The court had sentenced them to two-year imprisonment under section 452 and one-year imprisonment under section 323 of the IPC.
Arora holds the new and renewable energy, printing and stationery, employment generation, and training and governance reforms portfolios in the Bhagwant Mann cabinet.
Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on January 5 had written to Chief Minister Mann, raising a question on why the convict has not been divested of membership thus disregarding apex court directions.
Purohit, in his letter, had also cited a judgment of the Supreme Court, according to which an MLA stands divested of membership if convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for a term not less than two years by a trial court.
A delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday had sought from the Governor to forbid Arora from unfurling the national flag on Republic Day.
