The Supreme Court has scheduled a July 30 hearing for an appeal filed by the Chandigarh administration challenging the quashing of a criminal case against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other Aam Aadmi Party leaders.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi fixed the hearing date on Tuesday to align with another pending petition from the administration related to the matter.
Judicial Observations on Protest Allegations
During Tuesday’s proceedings, the bench raised questions regarding the specific allegations against the Punjab Chief Minister. Justice Bagchi asked how the mere presence of Mann and fellow party members at the protest site established a criminal conspiracy. The court observed that the record contained no allegations indicating that Mann had exhorted the gathered crowd.
Representing the Chandigarh administration, Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju countered that sufficient evidence existed to show that the leaders had indeed incited the protesters.
The court had previously indicated an unwillingness to overturn the lower court’s ruling. In earlier remarks, Chief Justice Kant noted that political slogans and demonstrations are standard practice in a democracy, adding that the court expected Mann to recognize his obligations given his current constitutional position.
High Court Decision Under Challenge
The Chandigarh administration is seeking to overturn a ruling by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which quashed the First Information Report and subsequent charge sheet filed against the AAP leaders.
In its verdict, the high court determined that no prima facie case was established against the accused and that the essential legal elements for the charged offenses were absent. The quashed charges included Indian Penal Code sections relating to rioting, unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from duty, and criminal force against a public servant.
Background of the 2020 Chandigarh Demonstration
The legal proceedings stem from a 2020 demonstration organized in Chandigarh by the Aam Aadmi Party to oppose increases in electricity tariffs.
The initial complaint was lodged by police constable Manpreet Kaur. According to the FIR, senior AAP figures—including Mann, Harpal Singh Cheema, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Baljinder Kaur, and Aman Arora—instigated an estimated 750 to 800 party workers to march toward Sector 2, Chandigarh, targeting the residence of then Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Law enforcement officials alleged that demonstrators attempted to push past police barricades and threw stones after officers deployed water cannons to disperse the crowd, resulting in minor injuries to several police personnel.
