ED official probing drug racket tells Punjab and Haryana HC, Majithia behind his transfer

CHANDIGARH : The focus of synthetic drug racket running in Punjab has once again shifted to revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia when the Enforcement Durectorate (ED) Joint Director Niranjan Singh told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that he was shifted out to Kolkatta to weaken the money laundering case linked with drug racket in which name of Majithia has figured.Niranjan Singh alleged in the Punjab and Haryana high court that Bikram Singh Majithia was behind his transfer order that would have derailed the money-laundering investigation.Majithia is brother of Union minister for food-processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Jagdish Bhola a dismissed cop who was main accused in the Rs.6000 crore synthetic drug racket had named Majithia as king pin of the racket. While Punjab Police is investigating the main drug racket, the ED is investigating the money laundering case related to drug racket. The High court is hearing a bunch of petitions seeking transfer of drug racket case to Central Bureau O Investigation.ED had defended the transfer order, stating the reasons to be administrative. Last December 26, Niranjan had summoned Majithia for questioning, and this January 16, he was shifted from Jalandhar to Kolkata before the high court stayed that on January 20.The High Court after hearing the officer, extended stay on his transfer and also stayed the transfer of special public prisecutor Suresh Batra who was shifted to Banglore.During the hearing on the transfer of Batra, senior advocate Anupam Gupta submitted on behalf of Niranjan Singh that there was a pattern in the transfer of both officers “to weaken the investigation”. Countering the ED averments, Gupta said the officer had given him the go-ahead to say so.Earlier, he argued that in this “no small case by any yardstick”, substantial part of the investigation was pending. “The PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) is a complicated law with international implications. Drug lords involved in the case are sitting abroad. This case needs strong shoulders… if transfers are allowed, the entire effort will come to a naught,” Gupta argued.Assistant solicitor general Chetan Mittal, who appeared on behalf of the ED, defended the transfer of Batra as necessary to fill an urgent vacancy in Banglore. Mottal told the court that officers associated with the investigation could not be allowed to continue at the time of prosecution. After about an hour of argument, the high court special bench of justice Surya Kant and justice PB Bajanthri observed that Batra would continue to be of service in the money-laundering investigation into the Punjab synthetic drug racket until further orders.