SC junks Punjab Govt’s plea against bail to SAD leader Bikram Majithia in drug case
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the Punjab Government’s petition challenging the bail granted to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 10, 2022, in a drugs case.
“The respondent (Majithia) was participating in the process of further investigation. In view of the said facts and also taking note that the liberty was granted on August 10, 2022, more than two-and-a-half-year ago, at present we are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order. Accordingly, the SLP stands dismissed,” a Bench led by Justice JK Maheswari said, rejecting the Punjab Government’s petition.
The top court asked Majithia and the anti-drug Special Task Force (STF) not to make any statement about the probe into the case to the media. It asked Majithia to file an affidavit within a week undertaking not to make any statement to the media about the case. It also asked the STF to seek its prior approval before making any public statement on the case.
The Bench granted liberty to the STF to seek cancellation of Majithia’s bail if he attempted to influence witnesses or the trial in the case.
Majithia, the brother-in-law of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and brother of former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, was booked on the basis of a 2018 STF report on a drug racket in the state. The STF report was based on confessional statements given to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by some of the accused.
Majithia walked out of the Patiala jail on bail on August 10, 2022, after more than five months with the Punjab and Haryana High court saying there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that he was not guilty.
However, the high court had clarified that its observation was only for deciding the bail application and the trial court should proceed independently of the observations made by it. The High Court had said that Majithia shall travel abroad only with its permission and shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence.
The Punjab Government had sought cancellation of Majithia’s bail on the ground that he was not cooperating with the investigation and was refusing to respond to queries of the probe agency.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed the Punjab Police not to arrest Majithia till February 23, 2022, in the drugs case to enable him to take part in the election campaign. However, it had directed him to surrender before the trial court after that.
On March 4, the top court had asked Majithia to appear on March 17 before a Punjab Police SIT for interrogation in a drugs case. It had directed him to be present in the police station at 11 am on March 17 at the SIT headquarters in Patiala for interrogation.
Punjab