High Court Addresses Long-Standing Punjab Drug Trade Case, Gives Key Directives

CHANDIGARH: After a Decade-Long legal battle, the division bench comprising Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Harpreet Kaur Jeevan of the Punjab and Haryana High Court concluded the extensive case concerning drug trade in Punjab on Friday, providing essential directives.

The Case gained momentum when former DGP Jails Shashikant brought a concerning letter to the attention of the High Court. Consequently, the government, under the High Court’s guidance, established a dedicated unit to investigate the drug trade, which compiled three comprehensive reports. In these reports, Inspector Inderjit Singh was found to have colluded with drug traffickers, allegedly receiving bribes from his superior, AIG Rajjit Singh Hundal (now dismissed). Additionally, a fourth report, privately submitted by SIT chief and former DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyay, raised suspicions of involvement of senior officers, leading to former police chief Suresh Arora’s request not to open the fourth report.

The Division Bench had reserved its decision, and upon delivering the verdict on Friday, it primarily accepted Suresh Arora’s application, instructing against the opening of the fourth report. The bench also lifted the stay on the investigation against Siddharth Chattopadhyay in the Inderpreet Chadha suicide case, emphasizing the need for its swift resolution. Furthermore, the government was directed to address the security enhancement request made by Shashikant.

Notably, While the comprehensive details of the case’s decision are yet to be released, the High Court has conveyed several vital instructions regarding the drug trade case. The specifics of these directives will be disclosed upon the release of the detailed decision.