Bikram Singh Majithia asks EC to step in, says Congress govt violating HC order
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday declined to grant Bikram Singh Majithia protection against arrest but barred the police from arresting him for three days to enable him to approach the Supreme Court to seek anticipatory bail
CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Wednesday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to stop the Congress government from conducting raids at his residence and harassing his family, saying it was a violation of the orders of the Punjab and Haryana high and to stop him from contesting the assembly elections.
“Attempts are being made to prevent me from contesting the assembly elections and this is why police force was pressed into service to raid my residence,” Majithia said at a Press conference on Wednesday. He also demanded that a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into a leaked audio-tape conversation allegedly involving the state DGP S Chatttopadhay.
To be sure, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday declined to grant Majithia protection against arrest but barred the police from arresting him for three days to enable him to approach the Supreme Court to seek anticipatory bail. The top court is expected to hear his petition on Thursday.
Majithia, who was earlier named as the Akali Dal candidate from Majitha, an assembly segment in rural Amritsar, was fielded from Amritsar East constituency against Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu a few hours after his media briefing.
At his Press conference earlier on Wednesdy, Majithia alleged the police was a hurry to act against him.
“It seems the law is different for me and the same rules are not applied to Congressmen, be it Sukhpal Khaira who is accused of drug smuggling or Sidhu Moosewala who is accused to firing an AK -47 or even Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) leader Simarjit Singh Bains against whom non bailable warrants have been issued. No raids have been conducted at either of their houses…. The Congress government has not even proceeded against Bhupinder Honey, from whom ₹10 crore was recovered by the ED, for illegally using the security cover of the chief minister”.
The Akali leader also attacked DGO Chattopadhyay, who he said was on tape addressing a proclaimed offender as his son. “The proclaimed offender in the Jagdish Bhola drug case even talked about recovering RDX and bombs during the Prime Minister’s visit. Only a NIA probe can get to the bottom of this case as well as the subsequent security breach during the PM’s visit which could have even resulted in an assassination bid on the PM”, he added.
Majithia said his legal team was also considering moving a contempt petition against Congress government functionaries for violating court directions and harassing his family.