Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira gets relief, SC rejects Punjab Government’s plea against HC’s bail order in 2015 drug case

In a huge relief to Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, the Supreme Court (SC) of India rejected the appeal filed by the Punjab Government against the order of the Punjab & Haryana High Court granting bail to MLA Khaira in a 2015 drug case. Today (January 18, 2024), Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice K.V. Viswanathan heard the matter and refused to interfere with the HC order canceling the bail in the 2015 drug case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The SC said, “Order is only on the power of the investigating agency. Now we are in 2024, FIR in 2015. Is what cannot be done directly being done indirectly via 319. In this background, the High Court has passed its order...File appropriate applications before the High Court.” 

On January 04, HC granted bail to MLA Khaira but he was arrested in a fresh case by Punjab Police before he could be released from prison. The latest case registered against him was under Section 195A and Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code. Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh, Advocate Karanveer Gogia, Advocate Nupur Kumar, Advocate Ambuj Tiwari, and Advocate Kushagra Raghuvanshi appeared for the State Government. MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira was represented by SA Vikram Chaudhri, Advocate Rishi Sehgal, Advocate Nikita Gill, Advocate Nikhil Jain, Advocate Muskaan Khurana, and Advocate Arveen S.