Punjab drugs case: High court grants bail to Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia

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Majithia, a former minister, was booked under the NDPS Act in December 2021 by Punjab Police, but was given protection from arrest by the Supreme Court before he surrendered on February 20 once the assembly elections were over

A Punjab and Haryana high court bench on Wednesday granted bail to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a 2021 drugs case.

Also read: High court asks Punjab to look into threat perception to a law officer

The order was passed by the high court bench of justice MS Ramachandra Rao and justice Sureshwar Thakur, his lawyers confirmed. The detailed order is awaited.

The bench was assigned the case on July 22 and heard it on July 29 and reserved its final orders.

Earlier, a bench presided over by justice AG Masih and justice Sandeep Moudgil heard the matter after it was filed on May 23. However, on July 4, the day it was to pronounce the judgment, the bench recused from hearing without assigning any reason.

Majithia, who is a former minister, was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in December 2021 by Punjab Police. He was given protection from arrest by the Supreme Court and surrendered on February 20 after the assembly elections.

At present, Majithia is lodged in the Patiala jail.

In his plea, Majithia had argued that there was no credible and legally admissible material against him. “The case is blatantly political in nature and has been registered after an inordinate delay with the purpose of using the same as an election plank in the assembly elections of February 2022,” he had argued.

On the other hand, Punjab Police had claimed that witnesses have specifically said that two non-resident Indian (NRI) fugitives were supplying chemicals used in medicines to Canada and that the Akali leader was their “partner in that”.

The police had also opposed the bail submitting that witnesses examined have expressed concern about their security if he is released on bail.



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