Chandigarh, Jun 15 A court in Punjab's Amritsar on Monday granted anticipatory bail to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who along with others had been booked for allegedly storming into a police station to forcibly release a detainee.
Majithia had moved the court after he was booked under several sections of the BNS, including obstructing public servants from discharging duties, criminal force against public servants, snatching, damaging official records, criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly, and rioting.
Provisions of the Arms Act were also invoked.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler said Majithia has been granted anticipatory bail in the matter.
Majithia along with 50-60 people was accused of "storming" into a police station in Amritsar and attempting to forcibly release a detainee and Akali worker Jobanpreet Singh from police custody on May 31.
After registration of the FIR, police had conducted raids at the residences of Majithia in Amritsar. However, the former Punjab minister had not been traced yet.
The Akali Dal, however, had claimed that Jobanpreet Singh was a party polling agent in the recent civic body elections, asserting that he was held at the SHO's quarters instead of a police lock-up. They described the case as "fabricated" and linked it to "political vendetta."
On June 3, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued directions for the release of Jobanpreet Singh on a plea that he was held without furnishing grounds of his arrest.
Jobanpreet Singh's father Mukhwant Singh had submitted that the arrest of his son was illegal and unconstitutional.
It was submitted that Jobanpreet Singh was held on May 31 without furnishing written grounds of arrest which was the violation of Article 22(1) of the Constitution and the law laid down by the Supreme Court in various judgments.
