Supreme Court defers hearing on Bikram Majithia's plea

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11

The Supreme Court on Monday deferred the hearing on SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia’s petition seeking quashing of cases registered against him by the Punjab Police under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

A Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud posted the matter for hearing on April 21 after senior advocate V Giri, representing the Punjab Government, urged it to take up the matter next Monday even as senior counsel Kapil Sibal sought to know on behalf of Majithia if it could be heard on Wednesday as his client had been in jail for several months.

The SAD leader had on March 28 moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of cases registered against him by the Punjab Police under the NDPS Act.

Majithia, a former minister, was given protection from arrest till February 23 by the Supreme Court in view of the February 20 Assembly polls to contest as an SAD candidate from Amritsar East. He had surrendered after the expiry of the period. He is currently lodged in the Patiala jail following rejection of his bail plea by a special court.

He termed the cases were politically motivated, contending they had already been investigated by high-ranking police officers.

In his first orders to Punjab Police after assuming charge, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had on March 20 reconstituted the special investigation team (SIT) investigating the drug case against Majithia. IGP-Crime Branch Gursharan Singh Sandhu was given the supervision of the working of the four-member team headed by IPS officer Rahul S. The other members are AIG Ranjit Singh and DSPs Raghbir Singh and Amanpreet Singh.

The previous SIT was a three-member team headed by AIG Balraj Singh. The SIT was formed to probe allegations against Majithia based on an FIR lodged under various sections of the NDPS Act on December 20, 2021. 

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