Punjab Police Registers FIR After ADGP Asthana’s Letter Leak, Books Majithia

Asthana had sought clarity over the legality of acting upon the report of the STF head when it was with the HC.

Former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister Bikram Singh Majithia

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook)

Punjab Police on Monday, 20 December, registered an First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the leak of a letter allegedly written by Bureau of Investigation (BoI) chief ADGP SK Asthana to the then Punjab officiating DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota expressing his failure to register a case against former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister Bikram Singh Majithia minister in a drug case.

Following the leak, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had announced that a case will be registered.

On Monday night, Punjab Police booked Majithia under various sections of the NDPS Act on the basis of a report submitted by Special Task Force (STF) chief and ADGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu.

In connection with the letter leak, the FIR was registered under Section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) of the IPC and 72 of IT Act, 2020, against unidentified person(s) on the BoI’s assistant inspector general’s complaint at Mohali’s cybercrime police station in Mohali.

Stating that a 2018 special task force (STF) report is present in a sealed cover with the high court, Asthana had decided not to book Majithia. He had also sought clarity over the legality of acting upon the report of the STF head when the same was with the high court.

Asthana’s four-pages long letter, dated 11 December, was addressed to the DGP and had been shared with the media from a foreign telephone number, Hindustan Times reported. The letter was also posted on Twitter under an account named ‘Hawk Mark’.

Asthana availed a two-day medical leave after writing the letter. Following which, he was admitted to a Mohali hospital amid reports of increasing pressure for him to approve action against Majithia.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times.)