The Supreme Court has issued notice on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia’s plea challenging denial of bail in a disproportionate assets case but refused to grant him interim relief. The case, alleging accumulation of assets worth over Rs 540 crore, will be heard next on January 19.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on a petition filed by Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s refusal to grant him regular bail in a corruption case related to alleged disproportionate assets. However, the top court refused to grant him interim bail at this stage.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and N V Anjaria issued notice on Majithia’s Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the High Court order which had dismissed his bail plea.
The case arises from an FIR registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau under Sections 13(1)(b) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The Supreme Court has listed the matter for further hearing on January 19.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate S. Muralidhar, appearing for Bikram Singh Majithia, strongly argued that the Punjab Government had misused the criminal law machinery by registering a fresh corruption case based on the same financial transactions that were earlier part of an NDPS case.
He pointed out that Majithia had already been granted bail in the NDPS matter and that the Supreme Court had earlier dismissed the State’s challenge to that bail.
Muralidhar submitted that during the NDPS proceedings, the State had relied on a supplementary affidavit claiming that certain financial transactions were discovered during the NDPS investigation.
According to him, those very transactions are now being used to justify the registration of a separate corruption case, which he argued was unfair and legally impermissible.
Highlighting the manner in which bail was denied, Muralidhar told the court,
“The trial court says the chargesheet is yet to be filed, so bail is denied. Four days later, the chargesheet is filed. Investigation against everybody else is complete. This is so unfair,”
while pressing for interim bail for Majithia.
When the Bench indicated that it was inclined to issue notice in the matter, Muralidhar again requested interim relief. However, Justice Vikram Nath clearly refused the request, responding firmly, “No, no.”
The FIR against Bikram Singh Majithia was registered on the basis of a report dated June 7, 2025, submitted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing the earlier NDPS case.
The SIT alleged that Majithia and his wife had accumulated assets worth more than Rs 540 crore which were disproportionate to their known sources of income. The alleged accumulation was said to have taken place through a complex network of domestic and foreign companies.
According to the Vigilance Bureau, the allegations relate to the period between 2007 and 2017, when Majithia served first as a Member of the Legislative Assembly and later as a Cabinet Minister in the Punjab Government.
While refusing bail, the Punjab and Haryana High Court recorded the State’s stand that Majithia exercised direct or indirect control over several business entities, including Saraya Industries Limited and its subsidiary companies.
The State alleged that large unexplained cash deposits, foreign investments routed through entities based in Cyprus and Singapore, and inter-corporate transactions were used to acquire benami properties.
The State also alleged that Majithia misused his official position to build financial interests in liquor, transport, and aviation businesses through family members and front entities.
Before the High Court, Majithia had argued that the corruption case was merely an offshoot of the NDPS case and that the same set of materials could not legally justify registration of a second FIR.
He also claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. He pointed out that the investigation was largely complete and that a chargesheet had already been filed on August 22, 2025, running into nearly 40,000 pages and citing 272 witnesses.
Rejecting these submissions, the High Court held that registration of a second FIR was permissible if the investigation revealed a distinct offence or a larger conspiracy. The court relied on Supreme Court precedents which recognise economic offences as a separate and serious category while considering bail.
It further observed that Majithia, being a senior political leader and former Cabinet Minister, could influence vulnerable witnesses and hamper the investigation if released on bail at that stage.
While declining bail, the High Court directed the investigating agency to complete the remaining investigation within three months and allowed Majithia to renew his bail plea thereafter.
Earlier, on August 18, 2025, a Mohali sessions court had also dismissed the regular bail application of former Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia in the vigilance probe.
That court had noted allegations that assets worth approximately Rs 540 crore were accumulated during his ten-year tenure as an MLA and minister between 2007 and 2017.
Case Title:
Bikram Singh Majithia v. State of Punjab
Read More Reports On Bikram Majithia
