In a respite to senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has given the sitting Majitha legislator three-day protection from the arrest — giving enough time to file his nomination papers for February 20 polls and move the Supreme Court.
With January 26 (Wednesday) being a national holiday, it is expected that Majithia would file his nomination paper as Akali Dal-BSP nominee from Majitha assembly segment on Thursday, as his protection would continue till January 27.
Booked in a drugs case, Majithia’s anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the High Court a day before, following which, the Punjab police’s crime branch team conducted raids at six locations, including his Chandigarh and Amritsar residence, to nab Majithia.
Sources maintained that the entire operation was kept confidential and even the local police were not informed about the operation. However, the teams failed to make any breakthrough.
To arrest Majithia, the Mohali Crime Police formed six teams, keeping the operation completely under cover. The crime branch raided a total of six places in Chandigarh, Haryana and Himachal in addition to Amritsar in Punjab on Tuesday morning.
Notably, on December 20 last year, a case was registered against Majithia in Mohali under the NDPS Act. Citing political vendetta, Majithia had moved the High Court after the anticipatory bail plea was rejected in the Mohali Court apprehending arrest. The High Court had, on January 10, granted him interim anticipatory bail, and the same was extended twice.
Now, Majithia is left with the options of either moving the Supreme Court or surrender. Following the dismissal of his bail plea, Majithia has again gone underground.
Justice Lisa Gill, in the order released on Tuesday, has granted “three days protection against arrest” to Majithia for enabling him to approach the Supreme Court for challenging the order dismissing his plea. The protection would remain in force only for three days from January 24, till January 27, and was being granted keeping in view the peculiar circumstances of this case. Notably, Majithia’s counsel had sought a week’s time in view of the elections, which the Bench had said that it would consider.
“In case an effort is now being made by the State to break the nexus between the State machinery and the drug traffickers, I find no ground to scuttle the same at this stage…It is further relevant to note that in this political slugfest, a complete and thorough investigation should not be the casualty, especially keeping in view the grave and serious charges levelled under the NDPS Act,” noted the Bench. Justice Gill also observed the counsel’s submission that the petitioner gave evasive replies by terming the question as outrageous and claiming some matters to be personal.