Tajinder Bagga's arrest stayed by Punjab & Haryana HC; next hearing on May 10

In a massive late-night development, the Punjab & Haryana High Court ordered no coercive action against BJP leader Tajinder Pal Bagga until further orders after it held a midnight session to hear BJP leader Tajinder Pal Bagga's plea challenging the second arrest warrant that was issued by a Mohali court on Saturday. The Punjab & Haryana HC Chief Justice reportedly ordered an urgent hearing of Bagga's plea challenging the arrest warrant. As per sources, the hearing was held at the residence of the judge. The HC further noted that the next hearing will be held on May 10.

Filing his plea before the Punjab & Haryana HC, Bagga sought a stay on the arrest warrant issued by the Mohali court and a stay on the order issued by the JMFC Court on May 7. Bagga also sought protection against coercive action during the pendency of his application. 

The second arrest warrant against Bagga was issued by the court of Judicial Magistrate Ravtesh Inderjit Singh.

"Whereas Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, s/o Pritpal Singh, r/o B-1/170, Janak Puri New Delhi stands charged with the offence punishable U/Sec 153-A, 505, 505 (2), 506 IPC. You are hereby directed to arrest the said Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga and to produce him before me," the judge said in the order in a direction to the officer incharge of police station, state cyber crime.

The next date of hearing in the case is May 23.

Tajinder Bagga arrested

On Friday, Tajinder Bagga was arrested by the Punjab Police from his home in Janakpuri, Delhi, in connection with an FIR registered on April 1. He was arrested over his month-old tweet wherein he wrote an alleged threatening statement against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal over his views on the film, The Kashmir Files.

The Delhi Police had on Friday registered a case of kidnapping based on a complaint by Bagga's father Pritpal Singh Bagga that "some people" came over to his house at around 8 am and took away his son. 

Friday's dramatic developments saw police forces of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi getting into a tussle over Bagga while triggering a political slugfest.

The Punjab Police had booked Tajinder 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.

Bagga 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. 

(With PTI inputs)