The Supreme Court on Monday, 31 January, granted protection from arrest to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia till 23 February, so that he may be allowed to contest in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
The court directed Majithia to surrender before a trial court after the polls scheduled on 20 February, and apply for regular bail, as per news agency ANI.
The anticipatory bail plea of the Akali leader, who was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in December last year, was dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 24 January.
The high court had instead granted him interim protection in order to approach the Supreme Court to challenge the order.
What Happened During the Hearing?
"Sorry to say this, suddenly these cases are coming up before elections and everybody has reasons to suspect some motives," the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, who was presiding over the case along with Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli, was quoted as saying by LiveLaw.
The bench noted that candidates should be allowed to file nomination and contest elections in a democracy.
"Mr Chidambaram, please advise your state, that it does not look like you are taking motivated actions," the CJI further told Congress leader and senior advocate P Chidambaram, who was appearing for the Punjab government. The remark alluded to the filing of an anticipatory bail plea by another state political leader, which will be heard on Tuesday.
"As far as this matter is concerned, this was under the monitoring of HC for long. With respect to other matters, I will advise the govt to not take any political vindictive action," Chidambaram assured the apex court, LiveLaw reported.
(With inputs from LiveLaw and ANI.)
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