Drug case: Khaira moves HC, Capt denies vendetta
CHANDIGARH: Leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly and Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sukhpal Khaira moved the Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday challenging the summons issued by a Fazilka court in a drug case. The case is likely to come up for hearing on Monday.
In his application, Khaira termed the summons against him in a two-year-old case politically motivated. He said when the trail has concluded and the main accused has been convicted, how he can be summoned now?
Khaira’s name had come up in the case after the arrest of some drug smugglers in Fazilka in 2015. The court had summoned Khiara on November 30, along with four others, including his personal assistant and personal security officer, under Section 319 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
In Patiala, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh rejected the AAP’S allegation of vendetta behind the court proceedings against Khaira. “The state government has no role to play in this and the summons issued to the leader of opposition in a drugs case is a court decision,” he said. The Congress government does not believe in any interference in judicial matters
KHAIRA’S NAME HAD COME UP IN THE CASE AFTER THE ARREST OF DRUG SMUGGLERS IN FAZILKA IN 2015
and the judiciary has taken an independent decision to summon Khaira in the case, the CM said, adding that the judge’s decision must certainly have been merited by some facts.
Khaira had alleged that the court order was a “deep-rooted conspiracy” hatched by the Congress regime in the state to “intimidate and gag” the voices of its political opponents. On October 31, a Fazilka court had sent nine persons to jail in connection with a cross-border heroin smuggling racket, which had surfaced in 2015. The court has summoned Khaira in connection with the case on November 30.