Court asks Pb cops to reply to AAP MLA wife's claims

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday asked Punjab Police to respond to a plea filed by Simranjit Kaur , wife of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, seeking protection of her family's life and liberty.

The plea, heard by the bench of Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya, alleged that the family faced an imminent threat from Punjab Police, acting under political pressure, and warned of a possible " fake encounter " of the sitting legislator. In her petition, Simranjit Kaur stated that her husband, who represents the Sanaur constituency, raised concerns over the recent floods that devastated at least 11 villages in his constituency. According to her, Pathanmajra publicly criticised senior irrigation department officers, accusing them of misleading the state govt on water release and ignoring his repeated requests to reinforce the embankments of the Ghaggar river. The MLA's statements, widely shared on social media and reported in print, allegedly angered AAP leaders in Punjab and Delhi. "In retaliation, his security cover was abruptly withdrawn, and police station heads in his constituency were transferred," the plea added. It has been stated that the situation escalated when an FIR, dated Sept 1, was lodged at Civil Lines police station in Patiala under sections 420, 376, and 506 of the BNS. The complaint was filed by a woman, identified in the petition as Pathanmajra's second wife, despite earlier inquiries clearing him of similar allegations.

The petitioner contended that the woman is a "habitual litigant" with a history of registering false cases. It claimed that she was in a consensual live-in relationship with the MLA before marrying him in 2021, and she later turned to blackmail and defamation. The matter, the petition added, was earlier examined by the Punjab Police on court directions, and a DIG-level inquiry found no merit in the allegations. Despite this, police have formed a special investigation team (SIT) led by what the petition described as an "encounter specialist", fueling fears of an extra-judicial killing.

Seeking judicial intervention, Simranjit Kaur urged the court to protect her husband and family members from harassment and political vendetta. The petitioner has impleaded the home secretary, DGP of Punjab, and the SSP of Patiala as respondents in the petition. Counsel for the petitioner, Advocate Sant Pal Singh Sidhu, informed that the HC had now adjourned the matter to Sept 23, asking the state police to respond to the contentions raised and the allegations made by the petitioner.