HC extends stay on transfer of ED officer

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today extended the stay on implementation of transfer orders of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Niranjan Singh, who had questioned Punjab Minister Bikram Majithia in the drugs case.
The orders will remain in force till February 26, the next date of hearing, the court said.
As the matter came up for hearing before a division bench of the High Court comprising justices S K Mittal and Deepak Sibal, the Enforcement Directorate filed its reply and submitted record pertaining to officer Niranjan Singh's transfer from ED's Jalandhar-based office to Kolkata.
The ED claimed that his services were required in Kolkata in a case monitored by the Supreme Court.

The argument, however, did not find much favour with the bench. The bench was of the opinion that some other official could be sent there or promoted for the purpose.
The High court also declined request made by counsel Navkiran Singh for a status report in the drug case.

The plea against the transfer was filed by Navkiran Singh in the ongoing drugs case pending adjudication before the High Court.
Navkiran Singh, on behalf of NGO Lawyers for Human Rights International, had contended that the transfer would hamper the investigation by the ED into the 6000-crore money laundering international drug racket case.

The probe, he had stated, was at the final stage.
He had also claimed that the ED officials transfer was neither in public interest, nor in the interest of justice. The case was being supervised by the High Court and status reports were being filed by the State and Central agencies.