Punjab and Haryana High Court will hear SAD leader Bikram Majithia’s plea on July 4 challenging his arrest and remand in a Rs 540 crore drug-linked assets case. He alleges political vendetta behind the action.
Chandigarh: Today, on July 3, the Punjab and Haryana High Court will hear a petition filed by Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. He has challenged his arrest and the subsequent police remand in a case registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), alleging he holds assets beyond his known sources of income.
The matter came up before Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya, who postponed the hearing by a day. The adjournment was given so that Majithia’s lawyer, Advocate Arshdeep Singh Kler, could submit the latest remand order issued against Majithia in court records.
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Majithia was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on June 25 in a fresh disproportionate assets (DA) case linked to alleged laundering of Rs 540 crore of “drug money.”
Following his arrest, the Mohali court sent him to a seven-day vigilance remand on June 26. After this remand ended, the court extended it by four more days on July 3.
Majithia has termed his arrest as politically motivated. On July 1, he approached the High Court seeking relief from what he called an “illegal” arrest and remand.
He alleged that his arrest was an act of “political witch-hunting and vendetta” because he has been a vocal critic of the current Punjab government.
In his petition, Majithia said:
“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.”
He argued that the case registered against him is not only baseless but also in violation of established legal procedures. According to the petition:
“The FIR registered against him is patently illegal” and his arrest was carried out “in gross violation of settled legal procedures.”
Majithia further claimed that the application submitted by the Vigilance Bureau seeking his remand did not have strong evidence or compelling reasons. Instead, it was filled with vague allegations.
He stated:
“The remand application filed by the investigating agency (VB) lacked any concrete or urgent investigative ground and merely relied on broad, speculative allegations such as the petitioner’s alleged influence, foreign connections, and general statements about the need to confront him with documents or digital devices.”
Majithia’s plea also referred to a past Supreme Court order dated March 4, where the apex court had declined the state government’s request for custodial interrogation, even though the same allegations were presented through several affidavits.
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As per the plea:
“The Supreme Court, by its detailed order on March 4, had refused custodial interrogation of the petitioner despite the same allegations being pressed before it via multiple affidavits filed by the Punjab government.”
Majithia’s legal team has argued that this petition raises serious concerns about the misuse of legal powers, the abuse of the criminal process, and the right of a citizen to a fair investigation. The petition emphasized:
“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.”
Majithia has asked the court to cancel the remand order issued against him and take steps to ensure that the criminal justice process is not misused.
He prayed for:
“Appropriate reliefs, including quashing of the illegal remand order and appropriate directions to prevent further abuse of process.”
The FIR in question has been registered as part of a wider investigation into alleged money laundering of over Rs 540 crore. The Vigilance Bureau claimed that this amount, which is linked to drug trafficking, was routed through different channels and allegedly involved Majithia’s role.
This new FIR is related to a separate probe by the Punjab Police’s special investigation team (SIT) into a 2021 drug case.
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Majithia was earlier booked in 2021 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act based on a report submitted in 2018 by the state’s anti-drug Special Task Force (STF).
He had previously spent over five months in Patiala jail in connection with that case and was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in August 2022.
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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