A court in Amritsar on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a case related to an alleged attempt to secure the release of a detainee from a police station.
Majithia had approached the court after an FIR was registered against him under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges include obstructing public servants from performing their duties, using criminal force against government officials, snatching, damaging official records, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and rioting. Police had also invoked provisions of the Arms Act in the case.
Confirming the development, SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler said the court had granted anticipatory bail to Majithia.
According to police, Majithia and around 50 to 60 supporters allegedly entered a police station in Amritsar on May 31 and tried to secure the release of Akali worker Jobanpreet Singh, who was in police custody at the time.
Following the registration of the FIR, police teams conducted searches at Majithia's residences in Amritsar. However, officials said they were unable to locate the former Punjab minister.
The Shiromani Akali Dal, meanwhile, maintained that Jobanpreet Singh was serving as a polling agent during the recent civic body elections. The party alleged that he was kept at the SHO's quarters instead of being lodged in a police lock-up and termed the case politically motivated.
On June 3, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the authorities to release Jobanpreet Singh after hearing a petition alleging that he had been detained without being informed of the grounds for his arrest.
The petition was filed by Jobanpreet Singh's father, Mukhwant Singh, who argued that his son's detention was illegal and unconstitutional.
The plea stated that Jobanpreet Singh was taken into custody on May 31 without being provided written grounds of arrest, which allegedly violated Article 22(1) of the Constitution as well as legal principles laid down by the Supreme Court in several judgments.
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