SC: Instructs high court to dispose of transfer of drug racket cases to CBI within 3 months

Supreme court in its one of the important order has asked Chief Justice of High Court to dispose the pleas relating to transfer of drugs racket matter to CBI be done within 3 months.  In a petition which was filed by Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the transfer of drug related case inquiry to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the apex court has come up with the above said order.

Supreme Court had considered 3 petitions on which order was passed included Jagjit Singh Chahal and Bachinder Singh and Jagjit Singh was a multi-core drug accused.  Bachinder Singh was the father of Arjuna Awardee and drug lord Jagdish Singh Bhola.

In 2014 these petitioners had approached High Court asking that drug-scandal enquiry should be transferred to CBI.  Supreme Court had delivered an order on March 17 and stated that another petition which was filed by former Punjab DGP Shashi Kant has to be heard together as Shashi Kant had approached the court in 2013.

The court considered the special leave petition filed by one of the accused in the drug cases and ordered accordingly.  In this petition Bittu Aulakh had pleaded that pending of the writ petitions in all drug related cases, where they sought transfer of cases to CBI had resulted in suspension of trial in lower courts.

Supreme Court suggested to Punjab and Haryana High Court that such matters which involved drug transfer cases, those petitions can be heard by divisional bench to dispose of the matter early.

“We hope and trust the division bench will make an endeavour to dispose off the matters at an early date and as far as possible, within a period of three months from today,” said the court.

Jagdish Bhola is being represented by Satish Karkra his lawyer in this matter and he has produced the order in Patiala Court where Bhola is facing trial in one such drug matter.  Shashi Kant has filed petitions before Punjab High Court and he has raised the matter of narco-politics in the state of Punjab where drug menace is high.

By Sushma Javare