The North News
Mohali, June 26
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia was sent to seven days of police remand by a Mohali court in a fresh Rs 540 disproportionate assets case. Majithia, was arrested yesterday by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, will be produced before the court again on July 2. During Wednesday’s hearing, the public prosecutor alleged significant financial irregularities linked to Saraya Industries, a firm associated with Majithia’s family since the 1950s. The prosecutor told the court that after Majithia assumed ministerial office in 2007, the company witnessed a sudden 200 percent to 300 percent surge in cash deposits, resulting in an unexplained difference of ₹161 crore that was not reflected in any official balance sheet.
The discrepancies reportedly deepened during his second term as a minister in 2012–13, when the company deposited ₹1,342 crore, whereas only ₹1,106 crore was declared in official records — indicating an unaccounted gap of ₹236 crore.
The public prosecutor also argued that a loan received from a foreign country was either not repaid or was settled through a one-time adjustment with a profitable Indian firm, raising further suspicion. An additional ₹1.5 crore in discrepancies was allegedly found in Majithia’s personal assets. The total financial irregularities are estimated at ₹540 crore.
The prosecution also informed the court that Majithia had allegedly threatened investigation officers during his arrest, and that this behaviour was captured on video. This, they argued, justified the need for police custody.
In response, defence lawyer Advocate H.S. Dhanoa strongly contested the remand. “Our stand was clear — the grounds they are using to seek remand have already been examined by the Supreme Court in FIR No. 2. The second FIR is not maintainable,” Dhanoa said.
Dhanoa argued that the current case amounts to a reopening of an already adjudicated matter, violating the Supreme Court’s previous rulings. “There were no shell companies,” he added. “These were companies worth billions of dollars, passed by the RBI, SBI, the Indian government, and cleared by the Income Tax department.”
Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, has faced scrutiny in the past over alleged links to Punjab’s drug trade. He has denied all charges and called the case a politically motivated move by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
A large number of Akali Dal workers gather outside the Mohali court complex as he is produced before the judge amid heightened security.
Majithia, who previously held a cabinet post in the Punjab government, was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau following an investigation led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into FIR No. 02 of 2021. The SIT uncovers large-scale financial irregularities involving the alleged laundering of drug proceeds through companies associated with Majithia.
Investigators claim that Majithia acquires both movable and immovable assets without a clear legitimate source of income. Several of these assets, they add, are registered in his name and that of his wife, Genieve Kaur. So far, searches take place at three sites, including properties and offices linked to 22 individuals. Seized materials include over 30 mobile phones, five laptops, three iPads, two desktop computers, and a number of property-related documents—many linked to Saraya Industries.
“Majithia is arrested following due legal procedure,” the Vigilance Bureau said yesterday, adding that more arrests and evidence recoveries are likely.
Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, has faced similar accusations in the past. In a video message following his arrest, he denies all allegations and calls the case a politically driven move by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The SAD condemns the arrest and accuses the AAP of using government machinery to target political rivals.
