Bikram Singh Majithia gets anticipatory bail in drugs case; Court orders him to join probe

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia and directed him to join the probe in a drugs case registered against him. A case was registered under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against Majithia by the Punjab Police for his alleged involvement in a drugs case on December 20.

While seeking anticipatory bail before the HC, the SAD leader contended that to target him was one of the major election planks of the current Congress-led Punjab government. The Court heard Majithia's plea on January 5 for one and a half hours but did not pass an order on interim protection and sought a response from the state government by January 10. This was Majithia’s second attempt to get the pre-arrest bail plea, as his previous petition was dismissed by Mohali Court on December 24.

Bikram Singh Majithia booked in drugs case

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia was booked in a drugs case on December 20, ahead of polls. On the basis of a report submitted by the Special Task Force headed by IGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu, an FIR was registered against him at the State Crime Police Station in Mohali's Bureau of Investigation under Sections 25, 27A, and 29 of the NDPS Act. The action on the SAD leadership comes at a time when Punjab Congress president Navjot Sidhu had been piling pressure on the Charanjit Singh Channi-led government to crack the whip on the drug mafia. 

SAD rejects allegations, claims Congress is abusing power to frame him falsely

The SAD had rejected the allegations on several folds and welcomed the probe against their party general secretary. Party leaders also acclaimed that the Congress government in the state is abusing their power, ahead of the state assembly elections. In his plea earlier to the Mohali Court, Majithia had alleged the same that the Congress regime in the state is trying to abuse their power to frame him.

"The current dispensation i.e. the Congress-led government has left no stone unturned to misuse its powers and position for wreaking vengeance upon its political opponents. To target the Applicant/Petitioner is one of the major election planks of the current government. To fulfil its election stunt, the Congress government of the State of Punjab has been day and night browbeating officers to register false cases against the senior leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal including the Applicant/Petitioner," Majithia said in his plea.