Supreme Court seeks Punjabs response on Bikram Majithia bail plea; no interim relief granted

PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant immediate relief to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia in a disproportionate assets case, granting the Punjab Government two weeks to file its response to his bail petition. The apex court fixed February 2 as the next date of hearing while raising concerns over Majithia’s claim of threat to his life inside prison.

Court questions security arrangements in jail

A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta heard the matter. During the proceedings, the court sought clarification on the alleged security risks faced by Majithia while in judicial custody.

The Bench questioned how long Majithia had been in jail, whether there had been any attacks on him, and whether adequate protective measures were in place. The judges also asked why shifting him to Chandigarh jail, as sought by the defence, would pose any difficulty.

Senior advocate Aggarwal, appearing for Majithia, urged the court to consider granting interim bail. “I am not opposing the state’s request for time, but interim bail should be considered. This is a regular bail application,” the counsel submitted.

The defence also argued that while the prosecution has spoken of public money running into hundreds of crores, the chargesheet quantifies the alleged proceeds at a significantly lower amount.

State seeks time, assures safety

Representing the Punjab Government, senior advocate Siddharth Dave requested two weeks to file a detailed reply, maintaining that all necessary steps had been taken to ensure the petitioner’s safety in jail.

Dave told the court that the state had already assured the High Court regarding Majithia’s security and continued to stand by that assurance.

Notably, SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia was arrested on June 25, 2025, following raids at his Amritsar residence and multiple other locations. The vigilance teams seized digital devices, property papers and financial records during the searches. He was initially remanded to police custody, which was later extended, before being sent to judicial custody on July 6. Majithia is currently lodged in Nabha jail.

The Vigilance Bureau filed a comprehensive chargesheet on August 22, running into nearly 40,000 pages and citing statements from over 200 witnesses. The probe traces its origins to a 2013 Enforcement Directorate investigation into a large synthetic drug network. While drug-related charges were later dropped by courts, the present case focuses on alleged corruption, money laundering and accumulation of assets far exceeding known sources of income.