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Drug case: Akali leader Bikram Majithia remanded in judicial custody
The Shiromani Akali Dal MLA, who is a former Punjab minister, surrendered before the Mohali court on Thursday morning on the directions of the Supreme Court
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Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia was on Thursday remanded in judicial custody after he surrendered before a Mohali court in the drug case registered against him in December last year.
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Majithia surrendered before the court at 11.10am and applied for regular bail on the directions of the Supreme Court, which while conducting a hearing on his bail application granted stay on his arrest till February 24.
The trial court remanded Majithia in judicial custody and posted the matter for hearing on Friday.
The special investigation team (SIT) probing the case did not seek police remand.
On January 31, a bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli asked Majithia to surrender before the trial court concerned.
Majithia was booked under Sections 25 (punishment for allowing premises), 27 (A) (whoever is financing any activities pertaining to narcotic drugs) and 29 (party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on December 20.
On December 24, the Mohali court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea following which he moved the Punjab and Haryana high court.
On January 10, the high court asked him to join probe on January 12 and gave him interim protection. A day after this, Majithia, who remained underground for 20 days, surfaced and joined the probe.
On January 25, the high court dismissed the regular bail to Majithia following which he moved the Supreme Court.
Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and the brother of former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, contested as the SAD candidate from Amritsar East segment against Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Punjab assembly elections on February 20.
