Mohali, March 21 -- A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mohali has dismissed the interim bail application of Ranjeet Singh, alias Cheetah, a notorious drug smuggler, who had sought temporary release to attend his son's wedding scheduled for March 31. Cheetah, who was wanted in connection with the 532-kg heroin haul from Amritsar in June 2019, was arrested in May 2020 along with his brother at Begu village in Haryana's Sirsa district. He was considered one of the biggest drug smugglers in India. The accused had moved an application seeking 20 days' interim bail to participate in pre and post-marriage ceremonies of his son, Karandeep Singh. His counsel argued that he has been in custody since June 2020 and his presence as the father was essential for the wedding rituals. The NIA, however, opposed the plea, stating that the accused was a key player in a terrorist gang and was involved in smuggling heroin from Pakistan. The prosecution submitted that he maintained links with Pakistani smugglers and played a role in channeling funds for terror activities through hawala networks. The court also took note of a verification report by the Amritsar police officials, which confirmed the wedding but raised concerns over the accused's criminal background. The report highlighted that his brother is an absconder wanted in multiple grenade attack cases in Punjab. The court observed that the accused's antecedents, including involvement in multiple NDPS and UAPA cases and previous convictions, raised a genuine apprehension that he might abscond or re-engage in illegal activities. The court dismissed the plea, stating that the risk associated with granting interim bail outweighed the grounds presented by the applicant....