CHANDIGARH: The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a disproportionate assets case, noting that he had remained in custody for nearly seven months.
A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order while hearing Majithia’s plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s decision that had earlier refused him bail.
The apex court took into account the length of Majithia’s incarceration in the case. In its order dated December 4 last year, the High Court had dismissed his bail application, observing that the possibility of him influencing the investigation could not be ruled out. However, it had directed the Punjab Vigilance Bureau to complete the probe within three months, after which Majithia was granted liberty to seek bail.
Majithia was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on June 25 last year in connection with the disproportionate assets case, which allegedly involves the accumulation of assets worth around ₹540 crore.
The FIR against him originates from an ongoing investigation by a Punjab Police special investigation team in a 2021 drugs case.
During the Supreme Court hearing, senior advocate S. Muralidhar, appearing for Majithia, submitted that the SAD leader had earlier been granted bail in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. He also pointed out that the apex court had dismissed the Punjab government’s plea challenging the grant of bail in the NDPS case.
Majithia has denied all allegations levelled against him.