(Maheshinder Grewal says if Delhi and Punjab govts’ don’t act in matter then SAD will approach high court to seek justice for minor allegedly sodomized by Sandoa)

(Asks Kejriwal to tell why he gave party ticket to Sandoa even after AAP volunteers apprised him of Sandoa sodomy complaint)

Chandigarh, July 23 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to expel woman molestation case accused and AAP Ropar legislator Amarjit Sandoa from the party immediately even as it demanded a CBI probe as well as registration of an FIR in the sodomy complaint made against Sandoa in 2012.

In a statement here, former minister and SAD spokesman Maheshinder Singh Grewal said the deportation of Sandoa from Canada immediately after he set foot in the country was a clear message to AAP leadership as to how there was zero international tolerance for crimes against women. “AAP has also always claimed to stand for woman safety publically but it refused to walk the talk and take action against Sandoa when he assaulted and outraged the modesty of his landlady. Now even charges have been framed against the AAP mla by a Ropar court. It is condemnable that while the Canadian government has taken notice of these developments and deported Sandoa and his colleague Kultar Singh Sadhwan, AAP had failed to act against the legislator”.

Stating that the deportations were an insult to Punjab as well as the entire community, Mr Grewal said the AAP leadership was responsible for this because tainted persons like Sandoa were given party tickets. “The only way forward for AAP and Kejriwal is to expel Sandoa from the party and seek his resignation from the Vidhan Sabha”, he said adding the Punjab AAP unit should also clear its stand on this issue immediately.

The Akali leader said now it had come to light from AAP leader Dr Amandeep Bains that there were serious charges of sodomy against a minor pending against Sandoa. He said as per record the sodomy was allegedly done in Delhi but the medico legal report (MLR) of the case was entrusted to the primary health centre, Singhpur near Nurpur Bedi. Mr Grewal said the MLR was not sent to Delhi as required because Sandoa used his influence to get a compromise entered in the case which was not as per law because the case was not compoundable. “The Punjab government should now act in the matter and register a FIR against Sandoa and transfer the case for investigation to the Delhi Police. The Delhi government on its part should refer the case to the CBI”. He said in case this was not done the SAD would be constrained to approach the Punjab and Haryana high court to seek justice in the case.

The Akali leader also asked AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal to tell Punjabis why he had given the party ticket from Ropar to Sandoa even when he knew about the sodomy complaint made against him. He said the AAP Ropar leadership had recently disclosed that they had apprised Kejriwal in writing about the sodomy taint on Sandoa’s character. “This shows how serious Kejriwal is about cases of moral turpitude”, Mr Grewal said adding the entire incident had exposed Kejriwal as a double faced politician who spoke about morality and ethics in politics but tolerated and even encouraged party men who were accused of serious offences like drug trade and crime against women”.