In the disproportionate assets case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Advocate General to respond to Bikram Singh Majithia’s petition challenging his arrest and remand, but no interim relief was granted yet.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court requested the Punjab Advocate General to respond to Bikram Singh Majithia’s plea against his arrest and remand in a disproportionate assets case.
Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya postponed the hearing to July 8, without providing any interim relief to the Shiromani Akali Dal leader.
Majithia’s attorney, Arshdeep Singh Kler, indicated that the court directed Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi to acquire instructions regarding the plea.
Kler informed reporters,
“The state counsel has been asked to take instructions on what is the petition and what is the petitioner’s grouse. The AG himself has appeared in the court,”
Kler mentioned that the court requested an amended remand order to be placed on record. A new remand order from the Mohali court was submitted on July 3, which included a correction changing the date from July 5 to July 6. The high court has now asked for this amended remand order to be documented.
Majithia, who was arrested in the DA case, was initially placed under a seven-day vigilance remand by the Mohali court on June 26. This remand was extended for an additional four days on July 2 after the initial period expired. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested him on June 25, alleging his involvement in laundering Rs 540 crore of “drug money.”
Majithia On July 1, filed a petition with the High Court contesting the DA case, which he characterized as “political witch-hunting and vendetta” due to his outspoken criticism of the current government. He sought appropriate relief against what he termed the “illegal” arrest and subsequent remand granted under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The petition stated,
“The said FIR is a result of political witch-hunting and vendetta, initiated by the present political dispensation with the sole object of maligning and harassing the petitioner who has been a vocal critic and political opponent,”
The plea contended that the FIR against him was “patently illegal” and that his arrest violated established legal procedures.
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It argued that the remand application submitted by the investigating agency lacked substantial or urgent grounds for investigation, relying instead on Baseless allegations regarding the petitioner’s supposed influence, foreign connections, and general needs to confront him with documents or digital devices.
Majithia also pointed out that the Supreme Court had previously denied custodial interrogation based on similar allegations, as outlined in a detailed order issued on March 4.
His current petition raises significant legal questions regarding the abuse of criminal processes, misuse of remand powers, and the right to a fair investigation and liberty.
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As a result, Majithia is seeking the annulment of the remand order and measures to prevent further “abuse of legal processes”. The new FIR claims that preliminary investigations showed that over Rs 540 crore of “drug money” was laundered through various means, allegedly facilitated by Majithia.
This case is part of an ongoing investigation by a special team of the Punjab Police into a drug case from 2021, in which Majithia was previously charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act based on a 2018 report from the anti-drug Special Task Force. He spent more than five months in Patiala Jail and was released on bail in August 2022 after the high court’s intervention.