Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia challenges arrest in DA case, calling it “political witch-hunting.” HC defers hearing to July 29.
Chandigarh: Today, on July 8, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has postponed the hearing of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia’s plea challenging his arrest and remand in a disproportionate assets (DA) case.
The matter will now be taken up on July 29, after Majithia’s lawyers requested three weeks’ time to file a revised or amended petition.
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When the case was heard on Tuesday, Majithia’s legal team asked for more time to make changes to their petition. Responding to this, the court allowed them the requested time and scheduled the next hearing at the end of the month.
Ferry Sofat, who represented the Punjab government in court, confirmed this development, stating,
“Majithia’s advocates sought three weeks time to file an amended petition.”
Majithia, a former Punjab cabinet minister and senior SAD leader, had filed a legal challenge against his arrest and subsequent remand in a corruption case.
The case, registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), accuses him of laundering a huge amount of Rs 540 crore, which the agency claims is “drug money”.
Majithia approached the High Court on July 1, arguing that the case is nothing but “political witch-hunting and vendetta” because he has been a strong and outspoken critic of the present Punjab government. He alleged that the state is targeting him for political reasons.
Following his arrest on June 25, Majithia was first remanded to seven days of custody by the Vigilance Bureau on June 26.
After this period ended, a Mohali court extended the remand by another four days on July 2. Eventually, on July 6, the court sent him to judicial custody, meaning he will remain in jail unless granted bail.
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In his petition to the High Court, Majithia’s legal team has sought cancellation of his arrest and the remand orders.
He claimed that the entire case was a violation of law and due process. According to the petition,
“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.”
Majithia further said in his plea that the FIR against him was not just politically motivated but also “patently illegal”, and his arrest was made in
“gross violation of settled legal procedures”.
The petition adds that this case is about more than just personal liberty; it raises important concerns about how law enforcement can misuse its powers.
“The present petition, therefore, raises important questions of law and principle concerning abuse of criminal process, misuse of remand powers, and the right to fair investigation and liberty,” it stated.
Majithia requested the High Court to cancel the remand orders, calling them illegal, and asked the court to issue directions to
“prevent further abuse of process.”
The FIR against Majithia alleges that he helped in laundering over Rs 540 crore linked to drugs.
The Vigilance Bureau said that the preliminary investigation shows that the money was cleaned through multiple methods and that Majithia played a role in enabling this.
This latest FIR is connected to an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Punjab Police.
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This investigation is tied to an earlier 2021 drugs case, in which Majithia had already been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. That case itself was based on a 2018 report by the Anti-Drug Special Task Force.
Majithia had already spent over five months in Patiala jail in connection with the earlier case and was released in August 2022 after securing bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Background Of The Case
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 25 in a disproportionate assets (DA) case linked to the alleged laundering of ₹540 crore in “drug money.”
The arrest is based on a fresh FIR filed by the Vigilance Bureau, which claims preliminary investigations show Majithia facilitated the laundering through various means. The case is part of a broader probe by a special investigation team of the Punjab Police related to a 2021 drug case.
Majithia was earlier booked under the NDPS Act in 2021, following a 2018 report from the anti-drug Special Task Force. He spent over five months in Patiala jail and was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in August 2022.
On June 26, he was sent to seven-day vigilance custody, which was extended by four more days by a Mohali court on July 3. Tight security was in place during his court appearance.
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