The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Ekta Sahota sentenced former Atam Nagar MLA and Congress leader Simarjit Singh Bains to one year in jail in an eight-year-old defamation case.The case was filed by former Punjab Cabinet Minister Brahm Mohindra. Advocate Gurpreet Singh Bhasin, representing the complainant, said the court sentenced Bains to one year of rigorous imprisonment in the defamation case. In accordance with the court’s order, a fine has also been imposed on the convict.In the event of non-payment of the fine, an additional one month of rigorous imprisonment has been prescribed. The accused was briefly apprehended and later released after furnishing a bail bond.Before pronouncing the sentence, the court heard the arguments of the convict, Bains, and his counsel. Appealing for leniency, Bains said he had been facing the trial for a long time and was the sole breadwinner for his family. He also gave an assurance that he would not commit such an offense in the future.On the other hand, the counsel for the complainant side described the offense as serious and demanded a stringent sentence for the convict.After hearing both sides and taking into account the facts of the case, the nature of the offense, the convict’s age, his past record, the prolonged duration of the trial, and his family responsibilities, the court sentenced him to one year of rigorous imprisonment.The case dates back to 2018, when Bains levelled allegations against then Health Minister Bramh Mohindra regarding the purchase of medicines and their supply to de-addiction centres. The issue had triggered a controversy at the time.