An Amritsar court on Wednesday postponed the hearing of former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia’s bail plea to Thursday, and provided relief to his legal advisor, Bikramjit Singh Bath, in connection with a case of the Shiromani Akali Dal leader and his supporters allegedly storming the Majitha police station to get Jobanpreet Singh, a detained party worker, released.
Defence counsel Amanbir Singh Sayali said the Special Investigating Team (SIT) constituted to probe the case had submitted a written statement in the court. According to the statement, Bath had gone to the police station in the capacity of a legal advisor and therefore, was not required to be named as an accused in the case. He added that the court had declared Bikramjit Singh Bath innocent in the case and therefore, his bail application was later withdrawn.
Apart from Majithia, several of his close associates and supporters, including advocate Bikramjit Singh Bath, Sahib Hamza, Raja Ladeh and Jodh Singh Samra, had been named in the FIR, along with several unidentified persons. The case has been registered on charges of assault of a public servant on duty, obstruction of a public servant, snatching, rescuing a person from lawful custody, destruction or concealment of evidence, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and rioting. Provisions of the Arms Act have also been invoked.
In the FIR, the police alleged that Majithia arrived at the Majitha police station with over 50 of his supporters while Jobanpreet Singh was being questioned. The group entered the premises without authorisation, searched and entered restricted areas of the police station and attempted to escort Jobanpreet Singh from an interrogation room towards the main gate. According to the FIR, police intervention allegedly thwarted the attempt.
The SAD rejected the allegations, claiming that Jobanpreet Singh, who served as a polling agent for the party during the recent civic body elections, was being illegally detained at an SHO’s official residence rather than in police lock-up. The party described the FIR as a “fabricated” case aimed at targeting its leaders. A day after the FIR was registered, police teams conducted raids at several locations linked to Majithia, including his residences in Amritsar and Chandigarh. On Tuesday, Majithia had moved the Amritsar District Court seeking protection from arrest and bail in the case.
