Respond to plea on making probe reports public: HC

All 3 reports are lying sealed before the HC; these include the one that then ED asst director Niranjan Singh prepared

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday sought response from the Centre and the Punjab government on a plea demanding that three crucial reports in Jagdish Bhola drug racket case be made public.

One of the report is of the then head of Punjab’s special task force against drugs, HS Sidhu. Another report was prepared by the then assistant director, enforcement directorate, Niranjan Singh; the third report/opinion is that of a committee that the then additional chief secretary (home) headed. All are lying sealed before the high court since 2018.

Advocate Navkiran Singh, who was an intervener in a 2013 petition in the Jagdish Bhola drug racket case, has filed the plea. In 2013, a suo motu petition was initiated into the alleged Rs 6,000 crore drug racket case and the court is monitoring probe that various agencies are conducting since.

Jagdish Bhola, a former deputy superintendent of police (DSP) with the Punjab Police, is the alleged mastermind of this international racket and has been convicted in at least three FIRS by a trial court. The Bhola drugs racket case has not been taken up since March 20, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In its report, the STF had taken into account a note on the ED probe into the racket, especially on the involvement of some high-profile persons. Then, the STF report was also shared with Niranjan Singh and Punjab, following which they too submitted their reports.

Navkiran’s plea says, “The matter relates to drug mafia operating in Punjab which has international tentacles and needs to be dealt with urgently since it affects Punjabi youth.”