HC junks Sukhpal Khaira’s plea seeking to defer trial

The High Court has dismissed Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira’s plea seeking to defer trial in a money laundering case against him.

Khaira had moved the High Court against a special court order that had refused to defer the trial in the case on February 7 this year. The money laundering case stemmed from a drug case registered at a Jalalabad police station.

Khaira argued that since the trial in the drug case remained stayed, the continuation of the money laundering case would be contrary to law. However, the counsel for the Enforcement Directorate argued that the offence in the money laundering case was independent of the scheduled offence. After hearing arguments, Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya said even if the petitioner was to be acquitted of charges in the drug case, his prosecution under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMLA) would remain unaffected. The court said the situation in the case was different as the petitioner was accused of using the proceeds of crime generated due to commission of scheduled offences by a person who already stands convicted.

“In view of the discussion, this court finds no merit in the petition and it stands dismissed,” the court said.