Khaira moves HC again against fresh summons from ED

CHANDIGARH : Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has again approached the Punjab and Haryana high court against the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED’s) move to summon him afresh.

The matter was taken up by the bench of justice Arun Palli and the hearing was deferred for June 9.

Earlier, Khaira had moved the court against ED raids at his properties on March 9, 2021, in connection with a 2015 Fazilka drug smuggling case. Following this, he had moved the high court seeking quashing of ED’s probe.

The fresh plea has been filed against ED’s move in which the agency intended to open his electronic devices such as phones. The ED had moved before agency’s adjudicating authority on April 4 seeking its permission for the same.

The authority had issued show-cause notice to Khaira on

April 12 asking him as to why the agency should not be allowed to examine his electronic devices. In the HC, Khaira says electronic devices can’t be allowed to be opened as it would amount to a breach of privacy. The agency has initiated these proceedings even as the entire probe is under the scrutiny of the high court, he argued in the HC.

Following raids, ED had claimed that in 12 odd years ₹4.86 crore were deposited in his bank accounts but he declared only ₹99 lakh income to income tax department.

The ED initiated a probe against Khaira, who joined Congress on Thursday, in a 2015 drug seizure case in which nine people were convicted in October 2017. In the same order, the trial court had summoned him as “additional accused”, a decision subsequently stayed by the Supreme Court. Khaira claims ED’s action was a case of “witch hunt” as he has been vocal against three farm laws enacted by Centre last year.