The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the to BJP MLA Kanwarlal Meena asking him to “surrender immediately” in connection with a 2005 case in which he was convicted of threatening a government official with a revolver.
A bench of SC Justice Satish Chandra Sharma gave the direction while hearing a Special Leave Petition by Meena, who was represented by Namit Saxena in the top court.
The development came on a day when a delegation led by Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully met Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani demanding that the MLA’s membership be terminated.
On May 2, the HC had directed Meena, MLA from Anta in Baran district, to surrender immediately in connection with the 2005 case. The HC upheld his 2020 conviction and sentence handed down by an appellate court. While the SC has not stayed the HC order in its entirety, it has stayed only the part which directed Meena to surrender, his lawyers said.
Meena, a two-term legislator, had initially been acquitted by a trial court but was later convicted in December 2020. He had then filed a criminal revision petition in HC against his appellate court conviction which found him guilty under IPC Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant), 506 (criminal intimidation), and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. He was sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment for last two charges and two years for IPC 353, to be served concurrently.
