On Saturday, 20 December, a court in Punjab declared Aam Aadmi Party MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra a proclaimed offender in a rape case after he repeatedly failed to appear before investigating authorities. Along with this declaration, the court also instructed officials to gather complete details of his movable and immovable assets as part of the ongoing legal process. Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra is the sitting MLA from Sanaur constituency in Patiala district of Punjab.

This court order came almost a month after legal proceedings were initiated to declare the Sanaur MLA a proclaimed offender. Since the registration of an FIR against him on 1 September, Pathanmajra has not joined the investigation at any stage. The FIR was filed on charges of rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation following a complaint lodged by a woman from Zirakpur. Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the MLA remained absent throughout the investigation period.

Police officials confirmed that multiple notices were issued to Pathanmajra, directing him to cooperate with the investigation. However, he did not respond to any of them. Due to his continued absence, a lookout notice had already been issued against him earlier, indicating concerns that he might attempt to evade arrest.

Police say MLA is still absconding

Deputy Superintendent of Police (City-1) Satnam Singh stated clearly that the MLA has not yet been traced. “He has now been declared a proclaimed offender by the court. We are actively searching for him, and further proceedings will be carried out as per the law,” he said, underlining that law enforcement agencies are continuing their efforts to locate and arrest him.

Police also revealed that the MLA narrowly avoided arrest on 2 September. A Patiala police team had reached the residence of one of his relatives in Karnal, Haryana, acting on specific inputs. According to officials, Pathanmajra managed to escape just moments before the police could detain him, raising further questions about how he continues to stay ahead of the authorities.

AGTF brought in, MLA alleges conspiracy

Following his escape, the Punjab government handed over the case to the Punjab Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) the very next day. The task force was assigned the responsibility of tracing and arresting the absconding MLA. Despite conducting multiple raids at various suspected locations, the AGTF has so far been unable to arrest Pathanmajra.

Even while evading arrest, the MLA has remained active on social media platforms. He has been regularly posting videos and messages in which he criticises the Punjab government. Sources have suggested that he may have fled abroad, although no senior police officer has officially confirmed this claim. These developments have added another layer of complexity to the case.

Different claims over escape

In interviews given online to private media channels, Pathanmajra claimed that he escaped because he feared a fake police encounter for “taking on the Delhi AAP lobby.” On the other hand, police officials have maintained that he fired shots while fleeing. The MLA has strongly denied this version, stating that he merely “outsmarted” the police and that no firing took place during the incident.

He has also claimed that he possesses evidence to prove his innocence and has said that he will present it before the court at the appropriate time. According to reports, Pathanmajra escaped to Nepal by road to avoid arrest and later flew to Australia. It is believed that he is currently hiding there. In a television interview, he stated that he would return only after securing bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “I have already applied for bail in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Once I get bail, I will return,” he had said.

For background on proclaimed offender proceedings and criminal investigations involving elected representatives, related information can be found on official Punjab Police updates and court procedure explanations available through reputable news platforms such as The Indian Express and The Tribune, which have extensively reported on similar cases involving public officials.