More challans to be filed in Bhola case: ED

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 3

With the names of none of the political leaders questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with Bhola drug case figuring in the chargesheet filed in the Patiala court yesterday, it might just be a temporary relief for them. Officials maintain that the probe is still on and more supplementary challans would be filed in due course of time.

The ED has filed a challan against 12 persons, including Bittu Aulakh, Youth Akali Dal leader of Amritsar, whom the investigative agency had kept in custody here on January 12 and 13, Varinder Raja of New Delhi and Sukhjeet Sukha of Hoshiarpur.

The two remained in ED custody for four days in January.

Since the ED needed to file a challan against the three within 60 days of taking them into custody, the officials could not prepare a dossier on the role of bigwigs in that timeframe.

Precious time was lost as the inquiry officer in the case, Niranjan Singh, was transferred to Kolkata on January 16. But the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a stay. The officer, however, went on leave for about 10 days.

With the next date of hearing scheduled for March 12, progress in the case will surely depend on further orders.

It has been exactly two years since the ED took the case on March 3, 2013, with the arrest of Canadian NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon. The case took a serious turn when one of the key accused, Jagdish Bhola, named Majithia in the case. The minister appeared before the ED on December 26 last year where he was grilled for more than four hours.

Among other politicians quizzed in the case are former Akali minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur, his son Damanvir Singh, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Avinash Chander and Jalandhar Congress MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh.