CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday stayed the arrest of senior leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Bikramjit Singh Majithia in connection with a drug case. The stay on arrest would continue till the next date of hearing and the SAD leader has been directed to join the investigation.
Majithia, a former minister of Punjab, had approached the HC after a local court in Mohali dismissed his anticipatory bail plea. He was booked on December 20 under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act at the state crime branch Mohali.
He has been arguing that apart from the fact that there is inexplicable delay in lodging of the FIR, the FIR itself could not have been lodged because if at all, any material had indeed surfaced against the petitioner, it was incumbent upon the authorities to have firstly sought permission of the competent Court before proceeding against him.
It was stated that a fresh FIR, as has been lodged, could not have been registered.
It was also submitted that the Special Task Force (STF) as well as the Committee constituted under orders of the court, but no action for all these long years was taken against the petitioner. HC was also informed that registration of the present FIR is vitiated by political and ulterior motives. The petitioner, it was asserted by the counsels, has no criminal record and is a mainstream politician and undertakes to join investigation, fully cooperate with the investigating agency and abide by any conditions which may be imposed by this Court.
However, strongly opposing Majithia's bail plea, Punjab government had referred to the statements of Niranjan Singh, Former Deputy Director Enforcement Directorate, Jalandhar, Punjab and Jagdish Singh alias Bhola, recorded on December 22, 2021 and January 3, 2022, respectively, to submit that there is specific, sufficient and clear cut material to connect the petitioner with the offences as alleged.
