Chandigarh: Punjab cabinet minister Aman Arora, on December 22, was convicted in a trespassing case dating back to 2008. According to his advocate Tejpal Bharadwaj, the case was registered in 2008 when the energy minister along with his mother and others allegedly trespassed and attacked Rajinder Deepa.

Arora and his accomplices have been sentenced to two years of imprisonment under section 452 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and one year of imprisonment under IPC sections 323, 148,149 IPC. The convicts have also been slapped with a Rs 5000 fine by a Sangrur court.

Deepa is the Vice President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the brother-in-law of Arora, who is accused of physically assaulting the former at his house.

Arora, on the other hand, leads Employment Generation and Training, Governance Reforms and Removal of Grievances, New & Renewable Energy Resources and Printing and Stationary departments in the Punjab government. Previously a Congress leader, Arora joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2016 and won the Punjab assembly elections in 2017 by a margin of about 30,000 votes. 

As the minister has now been convicted, his brother-in-law is now demanding his expulsion from the Punjab cabinet. 

The conviction comes after several setbacks that Deepa had to face earlier this year. In March, a Punjab and Haryana High Court bench had recused from hearing the plea involving the Minister.