Akali leader Majithia booked in drugs case

The case under sections of the NDPS Act was registered by the Punjab Bureau of Investigation at the Punjab State Crime Police Station at Mohali.

Welcoming the development, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu wrote in a series of tweets: “After 5.5 Years of fight against Corrupt System run by Badal Family & Captain and delay of 4 years without action taken on ED & STF Report against Majithia. Finally now, after pushing for credible officers in positions of power and influence first step has been taken !!”

An FIR has been registered in Punjab Police Crime Branch against the main culprits of Drug Trade on basis of February 2018 STF report, wherein i demanded this 4 years ago – It is a slap on the face of all those powerful who slept for years on issues at the heart of Punjab’s soul

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) December 21, 2021

The brother-in-law of SAD president Sukhbir Badal, Majithia is a powerful figure in the party and wielded considerable clout in the previous Akali government. The Congress and other parties have long accused Majithia of links with the state drug racket, an allegation that both Majithia and SAD have denied.

In 2018, the chief of Punjab’s anti-drug Special Task Force, Harpreet Singh Sidhu, had submitted a report in the drug racket in the state, on the instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, the report is yet to be made public.

Sidhu claimed that the FIR against Majithia had been filed on the basis of the STF report, adding that his demand for this for four years had finally been heeded. “It is a slap on the face of all those powerful who slept for years on issues at the heart of Punjab’s soul.”

Sidhu has been attacking own Congress government for not taking action on the matter. While Amarinder Singh had to step down as chief minister amidst accusations of favouring the Akalis, CM Charanjit Singh Channi too has been questioned by Sidhu over it.

In recent days, SAD has been holding protests claiming the Channi government was trying to “frame” Majithia in a false drug case.

In a related matter, on Monday, the Punjab Police registered a case over the “leak” of a note purportedly written by Bureau of Investigation Director S K Asthana to then officiating Punjab DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, expressing his inability to register a case against Majithia while citing that the STF report was with the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the case was sub-judice. Since he sent the note, Asthana has been on medical leave.

Sidhu said Tuesday that justice will not be served “until main culprits behind Drug Mafia are given exemplary punishment”. “This is merely a first step… We must choose honest & righteous & shun drug traffickers & their protectors.”