Chandigarh: BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, whose arrest on Friday set off a dramatic showdown involving two parties and police forces across three states, got relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court today.
The court has ruled that Mr Bagga, who faces charges in a case filed in Mohali for allegedly making provocative statements on social media, promoting religious enmity, and criminal intimidation, cannot be arrested till July 5, the high court has ruled.
The court was hearing Bagga's petition seeking a stay on the arrest warrant issued by a Mohali court against him last week. The arrest warrant is in connection with a case registered against him by the Punjab Police last month. He was initially granted relief till May 10, which was extended further today.
In his arguments before the high court, the Advocate General of Punjab sought that Bagga be presented in court. He also assured the court that no coercive steps would be taken against the BJP leader.
The Punjab government also sought 10 days to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
The Punjab Police had booked Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga on the charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity, and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali.
The FIR registered on April 1 referred to Bagga's remarks on March 30, when he was part of a BJP youth wing protest outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The BJP youth wing leader was booked under relevant sections, including 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place, etc), 505 (whoever makes, publishes, or circulates any statement, rumour, or report), and 506 (criminal intimidation), of the Indian Penal Code.
He was arrested by the Punjab Police from his Delhi home last Friday, stopped in Haryana while being taken to Punjab, and brought back to the national capital by Delhi Police hours later.