First major setback for akali dal, Badal’s after Punjab elections
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
A major setback for shiromani akali dal party and its president Sukhbir Singh Badal as the court has sent his main leader Bikram Singh Majthia to jail.
Today, Majithia surrendered before the court at around 11 am and applied for regular bail on the directions of the apex court, which while conducting a hearing on his bail application granted stay on his arrest till February 24.The SIT of Punjab Police, led by AIG Balraj Singh, interrogated him for about one and a half hours in the court premises itself. His custody was being sought, but the court sent him to judicial custody, till March 8,2022.The court will his hear for regular bail on February 25,2022.
On January 31, a bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli asked Majithia to surrender before the trial court concerned on February 23 and apply for regular bail. Acting on the orders of the apex court Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Thursday surrendered before a Mohali court following directions of the Supreme Court in the drug case registered against him in December last year.
The FIR accuses Majithia of allowing drug smuggling through the use of his property or conveyance, financing the distribution or sale of drugs and hatching a criminal conspiracy for smuggling. He was booked under Sections 25 (punishment for allowing premises), 27 (A) (whoever is financing any activities pertaining to narcotic drugs) and 29 (party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on December 20.
First major setback for akali dal, Badal’s after Punjab elections. On December 24, the Mohali court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea following which he moved the Punjab and Haryana high court.
On January 10, the high court asked him to join probe on January 12 and gave him interim protection. On January 25, the high court dismissed the regular bail to Majithia following which he moved the Supreme Court.
Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and the brother of former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, contested as the SAD candidate from Amritsar East segment against Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Punjab assembly elections on February 20.
February 24,2022
