Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging a Mohali court’s order granting seven days’ custody to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) in a corruption case registered against him last month.
The 50-year-old leader was arrested on June 25 in connection with a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and was remanded to VB custody by the Mohali court on June 26 until July 2. The remand period ends Wednesday, but the high court is yet to list Majithia’s petition for hearing.
Majithia’s petition argues that the remand was illegal and an abuse of criminal process, claiming it violated his right to fair investigation and personal liberty. It urges the high court to quash the remand order and issue directions to prevent “further abuse of process.”
“The present petition raises important questions of law and principle concerning abuse of criminal process, misuse of remand powers, and the right to fair investigation and liberty,” the plea states.
The Vigilance Bureau has alleged that preliminary inquiries revealed that over ₹540 crore of drug money was laundered through multiple channels, allegedly with Majithia’s involvement. Notably, he is also facing an ongoing probe in a separate 2021 drugs case.
Majithia’s plea contends that the case is “a result of political witch-hunting and vendetta” by the current ruling dispensation, intended to malign and harass a “vocal critic and political opponent.”
It also questions the grounds for custodial interrogation, claiming that the VB’s remand request lacked any “concrete and urgent investigative basis,” and instead relied on vague assertions about his alleged foreign connections and influence.
“These assertions clearly reflect a motive to extract a confession or admission from the petitioner, in violation of protections guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution of India,” the plea argues.
Terming the Mohali court’s order “perverse and non-speaking,” Majithia claims there is no indication that the magistrate applied judicial mind, especially given that the Supreme Court had earlier declined custodial interrogation in the 2021 drugs case.
The High Court is expected to take up the matter soon as the remand period nears its end.
