NEW DELHI, JANUARY 31,
2022
The Supreme Court on
Monday protected Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) 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 the youth on
the path to damnation.
The court's protection
would allow Mr. Majithia to participate in the Assembly elections on February
20.
A Bench led by Chief
Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana ordered Mr. Majithia to surrender before the
trial court on February 23 and seek regular bail. The apex 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. The CJI, in this context, referred
to the case of another Punjab politician who has approached the top court
against non-bailable warrants on him.