Punjab and Haryana HC Defers Hearing on MP Sandeep Pathak’s Plea to October

July 3, 2026

The matter of whether an FIR has been registered in Punjab against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who left the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined the BJP, was heard in the Punjab and Haryana High Court today. The Punjab government was supposed to file a reply in this case, but the government has again sought time from the court for a reply.

Pathak’s lawyer Arjun Sheoran said that the lawyer who was to appear on behalf of the government was not present. He had sought time to file a reply. The court has again given time to the government to respond to his request. The next hearing will be on October 17.

Advocate Arjun Sheoran said that the orders given by the court on the previous date will continue till the next date. He said that the hearing of this case has been going on for two months and till now the government has not been able to tell whether a case has been registered against Sandeep Pathak or not.

In fact, there were reports of police raids to arrest Sandeep Pathak by saying that an FIR has been registered against him in Punjab and Punjab Police teams reached Delhi. However, the police could not arrest Sandeep Pathak.

Pathak had on May 8 filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court alleging that the police were not informing him about the FIR lodged against him. While hearing Sandeep Pathak’s petition, the court had banned any kind of action on him.

In the petition, Pathak has made 3 arguments.

He left the AAP on April 24.

Sandeep Pathak left the AAP on 24 April 2026 and joined the BJP, soon after which on 2 May, the Punjab Police filed two non-bailable FIRs against him on corruption and other charges.

Fearing arrest, Pathak approached the High Court, where he sought to make the details of the FIRs public, calling them “secret”. The court has stayed his arrest till May 11, 2026, and sought a response from the Punjab government in this matter.