SC stops arrest of Majithia till February 23
The Supreme Court on Monday protected Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia from arrest in a drugs case till February 23 even as the Congress government in Punjab said the case was not motivated by political vendetta and the State was sinking under the weight of a narcotic trade, which was leading youth on the path to damnation.
The court’s protection would allow Mr. Majithia to participate in the Assembly election on February 20. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana ordered Mr. Majithia to surrender before the trial court on February 23 and seek regular bail. The top court said the trial court should consider Mr. Majithia’s request for bail expeditiously. The court urged senior advocate P. Chidambaram, for Punjab, to advice the State government to not use criminal action to serve political motives.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, for Mr. Majithia, said the case foisted against his client was an effort to politically humiliate a mainstream Opposition leader. “He has never dealt in drugs or anything... The allegations are completely bogus. This is a case of political vendetta. A man having a clean record is being humiliated,” he argued.
Mr. Chidambaram countered that this was a “gross case of an international drug racket”. Investigation in it was delayed because Mr. Majithia was in power. “Now, finally the investigation is moving,” he submitted.