Punjab: Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira Gets Bail, Lawyer Claims Police Caused 'Deliberate Delay'

Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has been granted bail in a criminal intimidation case based on a complaint filed by Ranjit Kaur, the wife of a crucial witness in a 2015 NDPS case against him.

File Photo of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira

Source : X/@SukhpalKhaira

Punjab Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira was on Monday granted bail by a local court in a criminal intimidation case. Kapurthala Judicial Magistrate (first class) Supreet Kaur issued the order, directing the Bholath MLA to furnish a bail bond of Rs one lakh, as confirmed by Khaira's counsel Kanwaljit Singh, news agency PTI reported. The case against Khaira was registered by Kapurthala Police under sections 195A (threatening any person to give false evidence) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, based on a complaint filed by Ranjit Kaur. Kaur is the wife of Kashmir Singh, a crucial witness in a 2015 NDPS case.

Kanwaljeet Singh, lawyer of the Congress MLA told news agency ANI that efforts will be made to get him released from jail today. He alleged, "The sole motive of the FIR was to ensure that he remains in jail. The bail was delayed by the police administration. They did not bring bail records on January 9 and sought more time, following which the judge gave them time till January 11. They again did not bring records that day and brought them on January 12. So they deliberately delayed the bail (process)."

NDPS Case Against Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira

Khaira had previously been arrested on January 4 in connection with this case, shortly after being granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding a 2015 NDPS case. The arrest had sparked allegations of political vendetta from the Congress against the ruling AAP in the state.

The 2015 drug case, registered in March at Jalalabad in Fazilka, implicated Khaira in his alleged role during investigations by a special investigation team. Nine individuals, including Gurdev Singh, reportedly a close aide of Khaira, were convicted in connection with the case, involving the seizure of two kg of heroin, 24 gold biscuits, a country-made pistol, a .315-bore pistol, and two Pakistani SIM cards, PTI's report mentioned.

Ranjit Kaur, in her complaint, detailed an incident where two masked individuals on a motorcycle allegedly threatened her family on October 15 the previous year, demanding Kashmir Singh withdraw his statement against Khaira. She also reported receiving an anonymous call on October 22, threatening the elimination of her family.

Khaira, summoned as an additional accused in the 2015 case, had claimed last year that he was summoned despite a Supreme Court stay on the trial court proceedings against him in 2017. In 2021, he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges linked to the same case but was granted bail in 2022. In February of the same year, the apex court quashed the summons against Khaira in the 2015 case.

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