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Drugs case: Bikram Majithia appears before SIT, grilled for over 7 hrs
The SIT is investigating into an FIR registered on December 20, 2021, against Majithia under Sections 25 (permits it to be used for the commission by any other person of an offence punishable), 27(a) (financing illicit traffic and harboring offenders) and 29 (abetment and conspiracy) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Monday appeared before a special investigation team (SIT) of Punjab Police in Patiala for questioning in a drugs case.
As per sources, he was grilled for over seven hours at the office of inspector general of police, Patiala Range, and was posed with around 43 questions prepared by the SIT.
“Most of the questions were related to the financial transactions in the drug case. Around 90-100 questions were asked as supplementary questions to the 43 main questions,” said a source.
Meanwhile, advocates representing Bikram Singh Majithia told HT that no fresh evidence in the case was raised before them.
Notably, the SIT is investigating into an FIR registered on December 20, 2021, against Majithia under Sections 25 (permits it to be used for the commission by any other person of an offence punishable), 27(a) (financing illicit traffic and harboring offenders) and 29 (abetment and conspiracy) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The FIR, based on a 2018 report of the anti-drug Special Task Force, was registered by the state crime branch at its Mohali police station when the Congress government led by Charanjit Singh Channi was in power. Majithia spent five months in Patiala jail before he was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) in August last year.
On Monday, Majithia arrived with a group of party workers and his counsel at the SIT office.
Emerging from the office after over seven hours, Majithia told the media that the fresh summons had been issued to him as part of a political vendetta. “The SIT issued the summons two days after I spoke in favour of chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s daughter who had levelled allegations against her father,” he alleged.
When asked about the case, Majithia said, “The Punjab and Haryana HC, while granting me bail last year, had clearly said there was no evidence against me. Even after two years of registering a case, no chargesheet has been filed so far. There is no merit in the case. This is only politicisation of the case.”
Additional director general of police (ADGP) Mukhwinder Chinna, who is the head of the SIT, remained unavailable for comments despite repeated attempts.
