A court in Punjab's Mohali district on Sunday sent Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia to judicial custody for two weeks in a disproportionate assets (DA) case. Amid tight security, Majithia was produced before the court and was ordered to be lodged in New Nabha Jail.
Public prosecutors Ferry Sofat and Preet Inderpal Singh confirmed the development, saying the next hearing will be held on July 19.
Ongoing vigilance investigation
Earlier, on July 2, a Mohali court had extended Majithia's vigilance remand by four days. “During investigations many things have come to the fore during (Vigilance) remand period,” Sofat said. Preet Inderpal added that under the law, the agency could seek further remand based on new findings that emerge during the investigation.
Majithia's counsel, Arshdeep Singh Kler, claimed the case lacked evidence. “The government only wants to suppress the voice of the Akali Dal. The police did not have proof in the drug case till today and now in the disproportionate assets case they did not find any asset. They only created media hype around the case,” Kler alleged.
Details of the DA case and arrest
Majithia was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 25 in the DA case, which allegedly involves laundering Rs 540 crore of "drug money." The case stems from an investigation being conducted by a Punjab Police special investigation team into the 2021 drug case.
In 2021, Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act based on a 2018 report of the anti-drug Special Task Force.
Petition in Punjab and Haryana High Court
Majithia has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the DA case, calling it “political witch-hunting and vendetta” for being a vocal critic of the current government. The next hearing in the High Court is scheduled for July 8. In his petition, Majithia sought relief against what he termed as "illegal" arrest and remand, claiming the FIR was a result of political harassment.
Majithia had earlier spent more than five months in Patiala jail in connection with the 2021 drug case. He was released on bail in August 2022 after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him relief.
