CHANDIGARH: A Mohali court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who has been booked in a drug case.
Majithia had moved a court on Thursday after the case was registered and a lookout circular issued against him.
The bail application was filed by Majithia's counsel D S Sobti, who told reporters outside the court that the additional sessions judge "dismissed the plea".
Majithia in his plea had submitted that the Congress government in the state had "left no stone unturned to misuse its powers and position for wreaking vengeance upon its political opponents".
"In this case, though, from the facts, the applicant has tried to make out a case of political vendetta but applicant himself was one of the powerful persons in the state politics till the year 2017 and delay in lodging the FIR cannot be a ground to presume that whole case against the applicant is false," the court order said.
The court said the question of legality of the FIR also cannot be a ground for the grant of anticipatory bail.
The FIR has been registered on the basis of report which prima facie "shows the involvement of the applicant in the drug trade" and "harbouring" of the accused involved in it, the court said.
"All these facts and financial transactions and extent of complicity of the applicant needs to be thoroughly investigated, which can be done only under custodial interrogation of the applicant and not under the protection of anticipatory bail," the court said.
Hence, keeping in view all facts and the gravity of the offence, it is not a fit case where benefit of anticipatory bail can be granted to the applicant, the order said.
"Accordingly, finding no merit in the bail application and the same is hereby dismissed. However, any observation made herein before shall have no bearing on the merits of the case," the court order read.
On Monday, Majithia, 46, was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on the basis of a 2018 report of probe into a drug racket in the state.
Majithia, is the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and brother of former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Majithia had earlier denied all charges against him.
The Shiromani Akali Dal had called the registration of the FIR against Majithia as "political vendetta".
The 49-page FIR was registered by the state Crime Branch at its Mohali police station.
"To target the applicant/petitioner is one of the major election planks of the current government. To fulfil its election stunt, the Congress government of the State of Punjab has been day and night browbeating officers to register false cases against the senior leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal, including the applicant/petitioner," the bail plea had contended.
The petitioner had also pleaded that three DGPs and three Directors of Bureau of Investigation were changed and police officers coerced to falsely implicate the applicant.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday said SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia has been booked in a drug case as there is enough evidence against him and an STF report points to it.
The CM also vowed to catch the "big fish" involved in the drug racket and slammed his predecessor Amarinder Singh, saying he did not make the STF report on it public and now gave a statement in "support" of Majithia.
Majithia, 46, was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on Monday on the basis of a 2018 status report of a probe into a drug racket in the state.
The Union Home Ministry has issued against the former Punjab minister a lookout circular, which prevents him from leaving the country.
Majithia has moved a Mohali court for an anticipatory bail.
Channi told reporters here that the drug racket had come to the fore in 2013, when the SAD-BJP government was in power in the state.
He said the Enforcement Directorate has been investigating the case since 2013, when now dismissed policeman Jagdish Singh Bhola, alleged kingpin in the synthetic drug case, was arrested by the Punjab Police.
It was Bhola who had taken Majithia's name in front of the media after his arrest in January 2014, said Channi.
"The STF report mentioned that there is enough evidence against Bikram Majithia. Later, we converted that report into an FIR," he told reporters ruling out any political vendetta. Channi held his predecessor Amarinder Singh and the then advocate general responsible for not making the STF report public and initiating any action on it."
"The cat has come out of bag. Now, Amarinder Singh is also coming out in Majithia's support," he alleged.
Channi said after he became the CM, the matter was pursued.
He also slammed AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who had dubbed the registration of the case against Majithia a "political stunt" just before the polls.
Channi said Kejriwal must clarify his stand first because it was the AAP leader who had earlier tendered an apology to Majithia.
Kejriwal had tendered an apology to Majithia for having levelled "unfounded" allegations, after which the Akali leader decided to withdraw a court case against the Delhi CM.
The apology came after a compromise was brokered between Majtihia and Kejriwal by Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who was then a SAD leader.
Referring to the case against Majithia now, Channi said Kejriwal must now apologise to people of Punjab.
The CM said the case was lodged against Majithia after he was convinced of it.
"First of all, I convinced myself and asked my officers that what we are doing has to be right. First, I found out what the reality is and when I was convinced, then we took up the issue and moved forward. First, I listened to my conscience," he said.
"This fight (against drug menace) is nation's fight, this is Punjab's fight, this is the fight to secure future of our youth. We will not spare those who spread the drug menace and take this case to its logical conclusion," Channi said.
He said the property and businesses of the "big fish" whose involvement is found in the drug racket will also be under the scanner now.
"Till the time you do not catch big fish, it does not send out a message below," Channi said.