The court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge on Monday granted bail to senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, along with his associates Jodh Singh Samra and Jatinder Pal Singh, in connection with a case registered after an alleged confrontation at the Majitha police station.
Earlier, Majithia’s legal advisor Bikramjit Singh Bath, also named in the FIR, was discharged after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) informed the court that he was not required in the case. Bath, a practicing lawyer, had accompanied Majithia in his professional capacity to obtain a copy of an FIR registered against Akali Dal supporter Jobanpreet Singh.
Bath’s implication had sparked protests by the Amritsar Bar Association, which accused the police and government of targeting lawyers. Following the protests, senior officers constituted an SIT that later concluded Bath was innocent.
Jobanpreet Singh had allegedly been taken into custody in connection with cases linked to recent municipal council and Nagar Panchayat elections. Akali Dal leaders claimed his detention was illegal and politically motivated, with his family not informed of his arrest.
Upon learning of the alleged confinement, Majithia, accompanied by party supporters and farmer leaders, staged a protest outside the police station, accusing the police of high-handedness.
According to police, Majithia and his supporters then entered the premises and attempted to forcibly secure Jobanpreet’s release. The police alleged that Majithia snatched a sub-inspector’s mobile phone and tore official documents during the commotion. A case was subsequently registered against Majithia and others on charges of obstructing public servants and creating a disturbance inside the police station.
Amanbir Singh Sayali, said that the police could not produce the CCTV camera footage regarding the storming inside the police station and creating ruckus in the police station, as sought by the court.
