FIR Against Punjab MLA Simarjit Singh Bains On Rape Charges

Eight months after a woman accused Lok Insaaf Party chief Simarjit Singh Bains of rape, he was booked Monday. A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Bains, as per reports, acting on the complaint of the woman.

The FIR against the Punjab MLA comes following the direction of a Ludhiana court last week, ordering the city police commissioner to register a rape case in the matter.

Taking note of the "extreme circumstances" in the case, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Harsimranjit Singh said while pronouncing the order, "In case the directions for registering of case is not made, the entire case of complainant would crumble and it would tantamount to failure of justice."

FIR registered against Lok Insaaf Party chief & Punjab MLA from Atam Nagar constituency, Simrajit Singh Bains on rape charges.

— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2021

Simarjit Singh Bains Rape Charges: What The Case Is About

The 44-year-old woman complainant in Bains' case is reportedly a widow who lost her husband last year. She has alleged the politician raped her multiple times on the pretext of helping her financially after her partner's demise.

As per reports, her landlord was urging her to vacate her residence owing to pending payments. She was introduced to Bains via a mutual contact and the MLA reportedly promised to assist her with housing loans.

She filed a handwritten complaint against Bains and six others in November 2020. Owing to lack of action pursuant to her complaint, the woman had been protesting outside the Ludhiana police commissioner's office the past few months. Now eight months later, an FIR has been registered.

Bains has previously denied the allegations levelled against him.

The case has made political ripples in Punjab with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders rallying behind seeking justice for the woman, by staging protests.

As per a Times of India report, a second woman had accused Bains of rape in June this year, lodging a complaint in the matter. She alleged Bains sexually exploited her for the last five years. Dismissing the allegations, Bains had called the complaint "politically motivated" in the run-up to elections.

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