The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a disproportionate assets case linked to alleged accumulation of ₹540 crore in wealth.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order while hearing Majithia’s appeal against the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s December 4, 2023 decision that had rejected his bail plea.
Majithia was arrested on June 25, 2023, by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The case arises from an ongoing investigation initiated by a Punjab Police Special Investigation Team probing a 2021 drug-related matter.
In its earlier order, the High Court had refused bail to Majithia, citing concerns about the possibility of the accused influencing the ongoing investigation. The court had, however, directed the Punjab Vigilance Bureau to complete its probe within three months, after which Majithia could apply for bail again.
During the Supreme Court proceedings, senior advocate S Muralidhar, representing Majithia, submitted that his client had already been granted bail in a separate case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and that the state’s challenge to that bail had also been dismissed by the apex court.
Taking note of the fact that Majithia had been in custody for the past seven months, the Supreme Court granted him bail and did not find sufficient justification to prolong his detention further.
