In a significant legal reprieve for Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, the Punjab government on Friday assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court that no coercive action will be taken against him until at least next Monday. The assurance comes amid Pathak’s claims that he is being targeted by the state following his high-profile defection from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The state counsel’s statement was recorded during a hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu. The court has scheduled the next hearing for Monday, during which the matter of the two undisclosed First Information Reports (FIRs) against Pathak is expected to be further scrutinized.
Pathak approached the High Court seeking a directive for the Punjab government and police to reveal the full particulars of two FIRs reportedly registered against him. In his petition, Pathak highlighted that while he learned of the cases through media reports and informal channels, the authorities have allegedly withheld specific details, including FIR numbers, registration dates, and the specific police stations involved.
The petition further alleges a “flagrant violation” of police rules, stating that the FIRs have not been uploaded to the Punjab Police’s official website as mandated. Pathak has characterized the deliberate concealment of these details as a calculated “political vendetta” designed to harass him during the pendency of his legal challenge.
The legal battle is set against a backdrop of intense political volatility in Punjab. On April 24, the AAP’s Punjab unit suffered a major setback when seven of its ten Rajya Sabha MPs—Sandeep Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney, and Swati Maliwal—resigned from the party.
The defecting MPs, six of whom represent Punjab, alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had “strayed from its principles, values, and core morals.” Following their resignation, all seven MPs merged with the BJP, a move that significantly altered the political landscape in the region.
Pathak’s petition argues that the sudden emergence of these criminal cases is directly linked to his decision to join the BJP. As the state government holds its hand until Monday, the High Court’s intervention will be critical in determining whether the particulars of the FIRs must be “forthwith disclosed” to the MP.
