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Journalism of Courage
A Mohali court Friday rejected Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia’s regular bail plea, a day after he was remanded in judicial custody following his surrender before a court in connection with a drug case.
Majithia was Thursday remanded in judicial custody for two weeks by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Sandeep Kumar Singla and is lodged in a Patiala jail. He had moved a plea for regular bail, which was taken up by the Mohali court Friday.
The court observed that being a powerful politician, there is possibility that Majithia may influence the investigation if released on bail.
“There are serious allegations against the applicant of having been involved in drug trafficking which are at initial stage of investigation,” the court said.
“The arguments raised by counsel for applicant are questions to be decided on merits of case and can not form basis for grant of bail. Moreover, there is bar under Section 37 of NDPS Act on release of persons involved in offence under Section 27-A of NDPS Act and the twin conditions of Section 37 of NDPS Act can not be said to have been met with. Majithia is thus not entitled to be released on regular bail and his application, being without any merits, is hereby dismissed,” the court ordered.
Arshdeep Singh Kaler, one of Majithia’s lawyers, said, “The court rejected the regular bail plea. We will appeal before the High Court now”.
Earlier, in his plea, Majithia had contended that a false FIR has been registered against him. It was contended that case is “blatantly political in nature” and has been “registered with malafide objective to target the applicant who is senior leader of Akali Dal” and the “Congress-led government has got registered the present FIR by misusing the powers for wrecking vengeance in the run up just concluded Assembly polls”.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had claimed that three DGPs and three Directors of Bureau of Investigation were changed and police officers have been coerced to falsely implicate the applicant. It claimed that the incumbent DGP, Sidharath Chattopadhyaya, was given additional charge, even though a regular DGP is to be appointed by the UPSC. It claimed that Chattopadhyaya had personal animosity with the leadership of Shiromoni Akal Dal and incumbent president of Punjab Congress, Navjot Singh Sidhu is arch rival of the applicant.
Majithia, 46, was booked under the NDPS Act on the basis of a 2018 probe report into a drug racket in the state. The 49-page FIR was registered by the state Crime Branch at its Mohali police station last year.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case had questioned Majithia for over an hour in the court complex in Mohali on Thursday.
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