In a significant legal victory for Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, the Supreme Court of India has granted him bail in a high-profile disproportionate assets case. The decision, pronounced on Monday, marks a major relief for Majithia, who has been navigating multiple legal battles.
The apex court bench meticulously reviewed the case details, noting that Majithia had previously secured bail in a 2022 NDPS case related to drug allegations. Punjab government’s challenge to that bail was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2025. Emphasizing the timeline, the court highlighted that the current disproportionate assets probe pertains to the period from 2006 to 2017, yet the FIR was lodged only in 2025. This substantial delay was deemed a critical factor warranting bail.
Majithia was arrested on June 25 following extensive raids by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau at 25 locations, including his residence in Amritsar. Authorities seized digital devices, property documents, and financial records during the operations. He was initially remanded to seven days of police custody, extended by four more days, before being shifted to judicial custody at Nabha Jail from July 6.
The chargesheet, filed on August 22, spans over 40,000 pages and includes statements from more than 200 witnesses. It alleges that Majithia’s assets exceed Rs 700 crore, far beyond his known income sources. Investigations spanned Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, uncovering statements from Akali Dal and BJP leaders.
This case traces back to a 2013 synthetic drug racket probe worth Rs 6,000 crore, where former DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola implicated Majithia. While drug charges were quashed earlier, the present allegations focus on corruption and money laundering. The Supreme Court’s intervention underscores the importance of procedural fairness in long-pending cases, potentially setting precedents for similar matters.