On 28th September, Boalth MLA and Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira was arrested by Punjab Police from his residence in Sector 5 Chandigarh. The Police arrested him in an old Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act case registered in Jalalabad of district Fazilka. Superintendent of Police (SP) Fazilka reached his residence on Thursday morning to arrest him.
Khaira published a video of the police action on his Facebook page. In the Facebook live, he accused Aam Aadmi Party-led state government of highhandedness in the action taken against him to settle political scores. For days, Khaira has questioned AAP leader Raghav Chadha over his lavish wedding with actress Parineeti Chopra.
In the Facebook Live, he was seen arguing with the Police. He also demanded to see the arrest warrants. A person in plain clothes identified himself as SP. Another police personnel told him he was DSP Jalalabad Acchru Ram Sharma. Khaira also asked in which case he was being arrested, to which Sharma informed him that it was the NDPS case.
Khaira said that summons in the particular case were already quashed by the Supreme Court, which raised questions about the action taken by the state police.
Furthermore, Khaira expressed his displeasure when the Police entered his bedroom in the morning. When the Police did not show him a warrant, he said when ED came to arrest him, they showed him warrants and completed paperwork. He added that there is a procedure to arrest a person, and the Police have to follow it. The Police did not clarify till the end where they were taking Khaira and if they were taking him to the court for remand or to a police station in Jalalabad.
Khaira bashed Raghav Chadha for lavish wedding
Hours before the arrest, Khaisa questioned Chadha over his lavish wedding. In a post on X, he said, “Will Raghav Chadha have the decency to clarify how he managed to gift a 4 Carat very expensive diamond ring to his newly wedded wife Parineeti Chopra (more than 10 times his declared income) while his income according to 2020-21 ITR is merely 2.44 Lacs? While she being a celebrity, gifted him with a ring of lesser value? What is the truth? Punjab BADLAV wants to know?”
Will @raghav_chadha have the decency to clarify how he managed to gift a 4 Carat very expensive diamond ring to his newly wedded wife @ParineetiChopra (more than 10 times his declared income) while his income according to 2020-21 ITR is merely 2.44 Lacs? While she being a… pic.twitter.com/RwcWzdCx9B
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) September 27, 2023
In another post, he wrote, “Omg just watch the dazzling cavalcades of today’s brand of Aam Aadmi’s like Arvind Kejriwal, Raghav Chadha, Bhagwant Mann & Co who once vowed not to take govt home car etc and vowed to end Vip culture but now not only have they broken their vows but are new Vvip’s of India!”
Omg just watch the dazzling cavalcades of today’s brand of Aam Aadmi’s like @ArvindKejriwal @raghav_chadha @BhagwantMann & Co who once vowed not to take govt home car etc and vowed to end Vip culture but now not only have they broken their vows but are new Vvip’s of India!… pic.twitter.com/Jh3DuXAn2s
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) September 27, 2023
Supreme Court quashed summons against Khaira
In February 2023, Supreme Court had quashed summoning orders against Khaira by a Fazilka court in drugs seizure case. The court noted that the orders under Section 319 CrPC were passed after the accused in the case were convicted and sentenced. In December last year, the Constitutional Bench of the apex court noted that once the trial court passed an order in a sentence, it is not in its juridiction or order summons to additional accused under Section 319 CrPC.
