AAP MLA Naresh Yadav convicted in Malerkotla Quran sacrilege case
PTC Web Desk: A local court in Malerkotla on Friday convicted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Yadav from Delhi’s Mehrauli constituency in the 2016 Malerkotla Quran sacrilege case. The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Parminder Singh Grewal is expected to announce the quantum of Naresh Yadav’s sentence on Saturday.
This development comes years after a lower court had acquitted Naresh Yadav and another accused, Nand Kishore, in March 2021, citing insufficient evidence provided by the police.
The case revolves around the discovery of torn pages of the Quran in Malerkotla on June 24, 2016, which triggered widespread outrage. Initially, the police registered a case against Vijay Kumar, Gaurav Kumar, and Nand Kishore. Later, Naresh Yadav’s name was added to the case based on circumstantial evidence and the statements of other accused.
Yadav was arrested on July 24, 2016, under charges of conspiring to incite social unrest. However, in 2021, he was acquitted by a lower court due to lack of evidence.
In the latest ruling, the court also sentenced two brothers, Vijay Kumar and Gaurav Kumar, to two years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 11,000 each.
Following Yadav’s 2021 acquittal, Mohammad Ashraf, a resident of Malerkotla, filed a criminal appeal challenging the decision in the Additional Sessions Court of Sangrur (now Malerkotla) on April 19, 2021. The appeal led to renewed scrutiny of the case, ultimately resulting in Yadav’s conviction.
In 2018, Yadav had sought an inquiry into a suspicious Rs 90 lakh transaction into Vijay Kumar’s bank account, alleging connections with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). These allegations added another layer of complexity to the case but did not change the course of legal proceedings. The conviction marks a significant turn in the controversial case, which has drawn political and public attention over the years.
- With inputs from agencies
