New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court granting bail to Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira in a 2015 drug smuggling case.

A bench, headed by Justice Bela M. Trivedi, dismissed the special leave petition filed by the Punjab government against the decision passed by the High Court on January 4.

In its order, the High Court had granted bail to Bholath MLA saying that Khaira cannot be said to be prima facie guilty for any allegations.

A bench of Justice Anoop Chitkara of the HC had, however, clarified that its order granting bail will not limit or restrict the rights of the police or the investigating agency from further investigation as per law.

Khaira, a former Leader of Opposition, was initially neither named nor prosecuted in the FIR, but his role surfaced during a further investigation conducted by a new Special Investigation Team.

The SIT claimed that they have collected sufficient evidence that prima facie points towards Khaira’s dealings with the drugs trade and the international mafia operating at the Pakistan border.

Khaira was arrested on September 28, 2023. In his defence, Khaira claimed that he had been arrested because he parted ways with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and his arrest is a regime revenge by fabricating, padding, and creating false evidence.