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Time of India
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Disqualified BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena seeks Rajasthan Governor's pardon to regain assembly seat
Kanwar Lal Meena, a former BJP MLA, disqualified due to a court sentence, is seeking a pardon from Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade. Meena aims to regain his assembly seat before a fresh poll announcement. The Congress party questions the fairness of such privileges. Legal experts are doubtful about the governor's intervention. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Kanwar Lal Meena approaches Raj Bhavan to avoid re-election, regain seatFormer BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena, disqualified after a court sentenced him to three years in a criminal intimidation case, has sought a pardon from Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade. Meena hopes to return to the assembly before the Election Commission announces a fresh poll. The Congress questioned if such privileges would be extended to ordinary experts note that while a governor has powers to pardon under Article 161 of the Constitution, it is rarely exercised in politically sensitive matters like disqualification. The BJP, meanwhile, has not officially commented, although party insiders say Meena's return would be strategically useful in the run-up to local polls. With his constituency still in suspense, Meena's move has added a legal and political twist to Rajasthan's post-election landscape.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Convicted former BJP MLA seeks pardon from Governor, Congress questions ‘political duplicity'
Former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kanwar Lal Meena, convicted and sentenced to three years' imprisonment in a 20-year-old criminal case, has moved a mercy petition before Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade seeking pardon. As part of the process, the opinion of police officials in Jhalawar, where the case was registered in 2005, has been sought. The former Anta MLA's Assembly membership was terminated last month after the Rajasthan High Court upheld his conviction and sentence and he surrendered in the trial court following the Supreme Court's refusal to give any relief. The delay in the decision on Meena's disqualification had led to a political slugfest between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress. The Congress and civil rights groups in Jaipur on Friday (June 27, 2025) questioned 'political duplicity' in the matter while affirming that initiating the process for remission of Meena's sentence amounted to adopting double standards. Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully said there seemed to be one law for BJP members and another for common people. The case against Meena pertained to an incident in February 2005, when he arrived with seven associates at the venue of a protest by the villagers in Jhalawar district demanding a Deputy Sarpanch repoll and brandished a revolver at the Sub-Divisional Magistrate. He threatened the SDM and asked him to either announce a repoll within two minutes or get killed. This was a rare instance for a sitting MLA being disqualified in Rajasthan, though it is not the first case. The Anta seat in Baran district became vacant after Meena's disqualification, about which the Election Commission has been informed. By-election for the constituency, to be held within six months, is yet to be announced. Some BJP leaders had favoured seeking pardon or commutation of Meena's sentence to less than two years by the Governor before his disqualification. After the termination of his membership, the mercy petition has been filed under Article 161 of the Constitution, which empowers the Governor to 'grant pardons, etc., and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases'. The Governor's office has sought a report from the State government on Meena's petition. Following this, Jhalawar Superintendent of Police Richa Tomar has sent letters to Station House Officers of Manohar Thana and Aklera police stations, asking them for their opinion, along with the comments of the Circle Officer. Mr. Jully said the true face of the BJP, which was pretending to be the protector of democracy, had been exposed in Meena's case. 'Is this privilege reserved only for the BJP members? Initiating such a process for a sacked MLA convicted by the court is tantamount to the murder of democracy,' he said, adding that the BJP wanted to run two laws in the country. The Soochna Evum Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan demanded that any process to pardon Meena be stopped with immediate effect, and 'strict ethical standards and accountability system' be ensured for MLAs and public representatives. 'The attempt to save Meena is a clear instance of misuse of power, which not only insults the basic spirit of the Constitution and the justice system, but also sets double standards for those in power and the people,' Adhikar's member Nikhil Dey said. However, Law Minister Jogaram Patel told journalists during his visit to Jodhpur that the filing of a mercy petition before the Governor was a constitutional process to which every convicted person had a right. 'The Governor reviews the petition as per the legal provisions and takes a decision. If the sentence is pardoned, Meena's Assembly seat will be restored… If the Governor takes another decision, the situation as it is today will remain the same,' Mr. Patel said.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena's Assembly membership terminated after conviction in criminal case
The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on Friday (May 23, 2025) terminated the membership of BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena after he was convicted and sentenced to three years in jail for pointing a pistol at a sub-divisional magistrate, officials said. According to a notification issued by the Assembly Secretariat, Meena's membership stands terminated effective from May 1. The Speaker sought legal opinion from the advocate general and senior legal experts before making the decision. "The legal opinion, received today, cited Supreme Court precedents, stating that there was no option but to terminate the MLA's membership as his sentence was not stayed by the apex court," an official said. Meena had approached the Supreme Court seeking suspension of his sentence. However, the top court dismissed his plea and directed him to surrender within two weeks. He surrendered before the Aklera court on May 21 and is currently lodged in jail. On December 14, 2020, the ADJ Aklera court of Jhalawar sentenced Meena to three years imprisonment in a 20-year-old case, finding him guilty of obstructing government work, intimidating government officials and vandalising property. The Assembly Secretariat had earlier served a notice to Meena, asking him to respond by May 7 regarding any relief obtained from the Supreme Court. With no stay granted on his conviction, the secretariat proceeded with the disqualification. The Election Commission has been informed of the vacancy. Now, a by-election on the Anta seat would be held within six months, potentially before October 2025. Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully and state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and other Congress legislators had been demanding immediate action. They submitted multiple memorandums to the speaker and also met the governor over Meena's conviction. Dotasra, reacting to Meena's termination from the assembly, said in a post on X: "After heavy pressure from the Congress party and the Leader of the Opposition filing a contempt petition, the membership of BJP's convicted MLA Kanwar Lal had to be cancelled. The Constitution is supreme in a democratic system." Jully also termed the decision as a "victory of democracy and the dignity of the Constitution." He said several Congress delegations submitted memorandums to the governor and the speaker but the BJP government did not take any decision, which he said was "against the basic principles of democracy and the constitutional system". In the 200-seat Rajasthan Assembly, the BJP has 118 MLAs and Congress has 66 MLAs.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena surrenders in Rajasthan court after a 3-year sentence in 2005 case
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kanwar Lal Meena, whose conviction and three years' sentence in a 20-year-old case was upheld by the Rajasthan High Court earlier this month, surrendered in the trial court at Manoharthana in Jhawalar district on Wednesday. No decision has been taken as yet on his disqualification from the Assembly. The Supreme Court had recently directed Meena to surrender within two weeks, while dismissing his special leave petition (SLP). Elected from Baran district's Anta, Meena was sentenced to three years' rigorous imprisonment in December 2020 in a case of brandishing a revolver at an officer with life threats and damaging public property. Accompanied by his lawyers and supporters, Meena arrived at the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Manoharthana on Wednesday morning. The court sent him to judicial custody, after which he was taken to the town's community health centre for a medical examination. He was later shifted to the Aklera sub-jail. 'Full faith' A large number of police personnel and BJP workers were present on the court premises during the surrender. Questioned by journalists about his future move, Meena said he had 'full faith' in the judiciary and his lawyers would decide about filing an appeal. A two-time MLA, Meena first won the election from Manoharthana in 2013, and later from Anta in 2023. He was not elected to the Assembly at the time of the crime in 2005 and already had 15 criminal cases against him. In 2016, he led a mob which allegedly attacked the activists of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, founded by Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy, during a march in Jhalawar district. Though Meena was initially acquitted by the trial court, a sessions court in Aklera later convicted him in December 2020 after finding him guilty of obstructing the government work, intimidating the government officials and vandalising property. His sentence for three and two years, respectively, on different charges, was upheld by the HC on May 1. Shameful, says Congress In Jaipur, Congress MLA and Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully described the surrender as a 'shameful episode'. 'This is a black spot on our democracy. It has happened for the first time in the history of Rajasthan ,' he said.
The Hindu
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Congress demands BJP MLA's disqualification after High Court upholds his conviction
The Opposition Congress in Rajasthan on Saturday (May 3, 2025) demanded the disqualification of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kanwar Lal Meena following the Rajasthan High Court's order upholding his conviction in a 20-year-old case. Mr. Meena, elected from Baran district's Anta, was sentenced to three years' rigorous imprisonment in the matter. The case pertained to an incident in February 2005, when Mr. Meena arrived with seven associates at the venue of a protest by villagers in Jhalawar district demanding a Deputy Sarpanch repoll, and threatened the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) with a revolver. He allegedly aimed the revolver at the SDM's head and asked him to either announce a repoll within two minutes or get killed. Mr. Meena, who was not elected to the Rajasthan Assembly at the time, already had 15 criminal cases against him. He damaged the recording equipment of government officials to remove traces of his action and left the scene. He was arrested three years after the incident and released on bail the same day. Though Mr. Meena was initially acquitted by the trial court, a sessions court in Aklera later convicted him in December 2020 after finding him guilty of obstructing government work, intimidating government officials, and vandalising property. He was sentenced to imprisonment for three years and two years, respectively, on different charges, to be served concurrently. A two-time MLA, Mr. Meena first won the election from Jhalawar's Manohar Thana in 2013, and later from Anta in 2023. Dismissing his revision petition, which challenged the sessions court's judgment, a Single Judge Bench of the High Court ruled on Friday that Mr. Meena's conviction was in accordance with the facts and law, and based on strong evidence. The High Court directed Mr. Meena to surrender immediately before the trial court, failing which the court would issue non-bailable warrants against him, and the MLA would undergo the sentence. Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Tika Ram Jully demanded that Mr. Meena be disqualified forthwith in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Section 8(3) of the Act provides for the disqualification of a lawmaker following conviction for an offence with a two-year sentence or more. Mr. Jully said Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani should immediately pass an order cancelling Mr. Meena's membership of the House in view of the High Court upholding his imprisonment sentence. A delegation of Congress leaders will shortly meet the Speaker and place the demand before him. An alleged attack by a mob led by Mr. Meena, when he was an MLA, on activists taking part in a 'Jawabdehi Yatra' (march for accountability) in Jhalawar district's Aklera region on January 16, 2016, had also made headlines. Videos had emerged showing Mr. Meena with a lathi charging towards the activists, and beating and chasing them away. The incident had attracted attention to the movement to highlight rampant corruption in public life and fixing accountability.
