New Delhi:
Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak left his official residence in New Delhi on Saturday, at a time he is likely to face arrest after two First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against him in Punjab, per reports. The cases have been filed for non-bailable offences, per IANS.
Pathak was among the seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs who had quit the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Visuals showed security being increased outside Pathak’s official residence, while another video showed him exiting the house from the back door, sitting in a car and being driven off. Sources told NDTV that the AAP rebel’s phone is turned off and he has moved to an undisclosed location, as the BJP ropes in its legal cell to secure relief for him.
Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney were the AAP Rajya Sabha MPs who announced their exit from the party last month. Except Maliwal, the other six represent Punjab in the Upper House.
Since seven out of 10 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs have jumped ship together with a strength of two-thirds, none of them is expected to attract disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, commonly known as the anti-defection law.