Drugs case: Bikram Majithia surrenders in court, remanded in judicial custody till March 8

As Majithia arrived for surrendering before the special court of Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Sandeep Singla, the prosecution filed an application seeking his arrest and questioning.

The court allowed the application following which Majithia was formally arrested. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case then questioned Majithia for nearly 90 minutes in the court complex. He was later produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate (Ist Class), Mukesh Kumar Singla.

After questioning, the investigating agency, however, did not seek Majithia’s police remand and instead applied for judicial remand.

The court observed, “In view of the averments made in the instant application, the accused Bikram Majithia is hereby remanded in judicial custody till March 8. Accused be again produced in the special court.”

Earlier, speaking to reporters outside the court premises in the morning, Majithia, who entered the court complex at around 11 am along with his supporters, said, “As per orders of the hon’ble Supreme Court, I have appeared before the (Mohali) court”. While the SC had granted Majithia protection from arrest till February 23 (Wednesday), it had also directed him to surrender in court after February 20 polls in Punjab.

Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and brother of former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, contested the February 20 polls from the Amritsar East constituency, from where Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Navjot Singh Sidhu is seeking re-election. He was booked by the state’s Bureau of Investigation (BoI) on December 20 last year under Sections 25, 27-A, and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The case was registered on the basis of a report of the Special Task Force of the Punjab Police formed to tackle the drug menace in the state.