HC grants bail to AAP MLA Pathanmajra in rape case; orders to surrender passport

PATIALA : The Punjab and Haryana high court has granted regular bail to Sanaur MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra in a case involving allegations of rape, sexual exploitation, criminal intimidation and cheating.

Granting relief to the AAP legislator, Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya directed that he be released on bail subject to stringent conditions. The court directed the MLA not to contact the complainant, her relatives or prosecution witnesses, directly or indirectly. It also ordered him to surrender his passport and report to the police station concerned twice every month. The court clarified that any violation of the conditions would entitle the prosecution to seek cancellation of bail.

The case stems from an FIR registered at Civil Lines police station in Patiala on Sept 1, 2025. The complainant, a divorced woman, alleged that she came in contact with Pathanmajra in 2013-14 and that he falsely projected himself as a divorced man before proposing marriage. She claimed the two solemnised an Anand Karaj ceremony in Aug 2021.

According to the complainant, she later discovered through the MLA's election affidavit in March 2022 that he was already married. She further alleged that Pathanmajra sexually exploited her, recorded objectionable videos and threatened to circulate them online.

Appearing for the MLA, senior counsel argued that the allegations were politically motivated and aimed at tarnishing his image. The defence contended that the complainant had remained in a relationship with the petitioner for several years and could not reasonably claim ignorance of his marital status, which had been disclosed in his 2017 election affidavit.

The defence also referred to a DIG-level inquiry conducted in Nov 2024, which reportedly concluded that the allegations did not disclose a cognisable offence of bigamy.

The high court noted that Pathanmajra had earlier been declared a proclaimed person and had travelled abroad, but observed that he had been arrested on March 24 this year and remained in judicial custody since then.

The court held that the allegations regarding non-consensual sexual exploitation would be examined during trial. It also observed that allegations of threats were not supported by any formal complaint lodged with the police.

Pathanmajra's bail pleas had earlier been rejected by lower courts. Police had registered the FIR in September 2025 and subsequently launched raids to trace him. He was arrested in March this year after remaining out of reach of investigators for several months.