A Mohali court has dismissed Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia’s bail plea in the disproportionate assets case linked to laundering of Rs 540 crore “drug money.” Prosecutor Ferry Sofat said the plea was rejected due to the ongoing probe and serious nature of offences.
A Mohali court on Monday (August 18) dismissed the bail plea of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia in the ongoing disproportionate assets (DA) case linked to alleged laundering of drug money worth hundreds of crores.
Speaking to reporters after the order, public prosecutor Ferry Sofat confirmed the rejection.
He said,
“The court dismissed the bail plea filed by Majithia,”
Sofat explained that the court refused to grant relief on two specific grounds – that the investigation is still continuing and because of the serious nature of the alleged offences.
Sofat added,
“The bail application was dismissed on two grounds – investigation being underway and the serious nature of the alleged offences,”
He also mentioned that the court had given the matter extensive consideration over several days.
He said,
“The court held day-to-day hearing for at least 10 days on Majithia’s bail plea,”
Majithia is presently lodged in New Nabha Jail in Patiala. His judicial custody was last extended on August 14 and will now continue till August 28.
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The Shiromani Akali Dal leader was first arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 25 in the disproportionate assets case, which is alleged to be connected to laundering of about Rs 540 crore of “drug money.”
On July 6, he was sent to judicial custody, which was subsequently extended on July 19 and August 2.
The FIR registered by the Vigilance Bureau claims that preliminary investigations revealed that over Rs 540 crore of “drug money” was moved through multiple channels, and the laundering was allegedly facilitated by Majithia himself.
This FIR also connects back to an earlier investigation by a Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) into the 2021 drug case.
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In that case, Majithia had been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act following a 2018 report submitted by the state’s anti-drug special task force.
Majithia has faced jail earlier as well. He had spent more than five months in Patiala jail before walking out in August 2022, when the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail in connection with the 2021 NDPS case.
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