Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, currently in judicial custody, has been granted three weeks by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to amend his petition challenging his arrest in a case related to disproportionate assets. The court will now hear the amended bail plea on 29 July.
Majithia Seeks Time to Revise Petition
During a hearing on Tuesday, Bikram Singh Majithia’s legal counsel requested additional time to correct and resubmit the bail application, citing errors in the original submission filed last week. The court accepted the plea and extended a three-week window for amendment.
The development comes amid an ongoing legal battle involving the former Punjab minister, who was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on 25 June under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Following a search operation at his residence in Amritsar, Bikram Singh Majithia was taken into custody and brought to Mohali the next day.
SAD Leader’s Custody Timeline and Charges
After his initial seven-day remand under the Vigilance Bureau, authorities extended Bikram Singh Majithia’s custodial interrogation by another four days. On 7 July, a Mohali court sent him to judicial custody till 19 July in connection with a separate money laundering case linked to narcotics.
He is currently lodged at New Nabha Jail, and was produced before the duty magistrate amidst tight security. Special Public Prosecutor Ferry Sofat stated that the state had applied for judicial remand, which the court granted, setting 19 July as the next hearing date in that case.
Political Reactions and Allegations of Vendetta
Bikram Singh Majithia’s arrest has sparked strong political backlash from the SAD. Senior party leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema criticised the Punjab government’s actions and compared the security and procedural clampdown to the Emergency era.
“This government wants to defame the Akali Dal leadership by spreading lies and false propaganda. This is vendetta politics,” Cheema alleged, accusing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of using state machinery for political targeting.