The Supreme Court on Monday protected SAD functionary Bikram Singh Majithia from arrest in a drug trafficking case till February 23 and told the Charanjit Singh Channi-led Congress government in Punjab that in a democracy governments must not slap election-eve criminal cases on political opponents to prevent them from contesting.

A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli ordered reprieve to Majithia, against whom the FIR under the NDPS Act was registered on December 20 for offences that allegedly took place between 2004 and 2015. The breather means that the fate of the Akali firebrand will be decided by the new government after the February 20 voting in the state. It also leaves him free to campaign against Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in the latter's stronghold of Amritsar East.

The bench asked Majithia to surrender before the trial court concerned on February 23 and move a regular bail plea, which it said would be considered expeditiously in accordance with law.

(With inputs from agencies)