Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon passed away on Saturday (July 16, 2022). Nirmal Singh Kahlon was 79.

Kahlon was known as the backbone of Shiromani Akali Dal and the leader of Fatehgarh Churidan. The party president Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed anguish over the news and said, “Kahlon sahab was a source of inspiration for all of us.”

“Deeply saddened to learn about the demise of senior Akali leader & former Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S Nirmal Singh Ji Kahlon. Kahlon sahab was a source of insipration for all of us. His wise counsel will always be missed. I stand with Kahlon family in this hour of grief,” Sukhbir Singh Badal said in a tweet.

Notably, Kahlon was a minister of Rural Development and Panchayats state of Punjab from 1997 to 2002. He was also the Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from 2007 to 2012. He was charged in a recruitment scam case, but was later acquitted by the courts.