AAP MLA Pathanmajra Challenges Proclaimed Offender Status in High Court
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Harmit Singh Pathanmajra has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He wants to cancel arrest warrants issued against him. The MLA also seeks to revoke his proclaimed offender status in a criminal case.
Legal Petition Details and Background
Pathanmajra's advocate Nikhil Ghai filed the petition. It challenges warrants dated September 5 and September 11, 2025. The petition also questions proclamation orders from October 16 and December 20, 2025.
A Patiala court declared the MLA a proclaimed offender last month. This happened after he failed to appear despite receiving a summons. The case originates from an FIR registered on September 1, 2025.
Police filed the FIR at Civil Lines police station in Patiala. The complainant claims to be the MLA's second wife. She accused him of cheating, rape under false promise of marriage, and criminal intimidation.
MLA's Arguments Against Warrants and Proceedings
Pathanmajra argues that police did not need court warrants to arrest him. He points out that law already allows officers to arrest without warrants in serious cases. This applies even outside Punjab.
The MLA calls the warrants an improper aid to investigation. He labels them an abuse of process. Pathanmajra further contends that proclamation proceedings were unlawful.
He says his anticipatory bail applications were pending in lower courts at the time. Required legal steps for public notice were not followed properly. The MLA claims he was living openly in Australia with no proper service of notices.
Current Whereabouts and Defense Claims
Pathanmajra states he is currently staying at a relative's house in Aintree, Victoria, Australia. He denies hiding from authorities. The MLA says he has been pursuing legal remedies actively.
On the merits of the case, Pathanmajra claims the second marriage took place in 2021. He says it happened with the consent of his first wife and her family. The MLA alleges the complaint is false.
He suggests the complaint is motivated by personal demands for money and property. Pathanmajra also claims political rivals influenced the case. The MLA points to a counter FIR he filed against the complainant in 2022.
He filed that FIR for allegedly uploading an obscene video of him online. Police had earlier issued a lookout notice against Pathanmajra. The case continues to develop through legal channels.
