Punjab court extends Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira's police remand for two days
Oct 12, 2023
Fazilka (Punjab) [India], October 12 : A Punjab court here on Thursday extended the police remand of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira for two days in connection with the 2015 drug case.
The Bholath MLA was produced in the court after his two-day police remand ended today.
Punjab Police arrested Khaira from his Chandigarh residence last month in connection with an eight-year-old case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
While the Congress is calling it vindictive politics of AAP, the ruling party is terming the development as part of their "zero-tolerance policy" against drugs.
Earlier in 2015, there were two cases originated with the unearthing of a cross-border drug smuggling network in Fazilka, Punjab, leading to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards and the second of a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.
As the trial went on, nine smugglers, including Gurdev Singh, Manjit Singh, Harbans Singh, and Subhash Chander, were sentenced in October 2017 in connection with the Fazilka case.
As per the chargesheet, Khaira was closely associated with Gurdev Singh, the leader of the Fazilka drug smuggling racket, and is accused of having sheltered him.
The primary accusations against Khaira include supporting an international gang of smugglers, having sheltered him and receiving financial benefits from drug traffickers, and enjoying the proceeds of crime.
On February 16, 2023, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the drugs case.
