In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of India upheld the bail granted to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, dismissing the Punjab government’s appeal against the bail decision made by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justices J.K. Maheswari and Aravind Kumar presided over the bench and declined to overturn the High Court’s bail order from August 10, 2022. The Court stated, “The respondent (Majithia) was actively participating in the ongoing investigation. Considering the facts and the duration since the bail was granted—over two and a half years ago—we are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order.”
In its ruling, the Supreme Court emphasized the conditions of Majithia’s bail, instructing him to refrain from making public statements about the case and not to influence any prosecution witnesses or trial proceedings. The court explicitly stated, “The respondent shall not influence any of the prosecution witnesses or the trial proceedings. In case of default, the prosecution is at liberty to take recourse.”
The bench also granted the Special Task Force (STF) handling the anti-drug investigations the option to request the cancellation of Majithia’s bail if he attempts to tamper with the trial or witnesses. Moreover, the STF was directed to obtain prior approval from the Supreme Court before making any public statements about the case.
Majithia, who is also the brother-in-law of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, was released from Patiala jail after the High Court found “reasonable grounds” to believe that he was not guilty as charged in the 2018 STF report on a drug racket in Punjab. This report had included confessions from other accused individuals, implicating Majithia.
While granting bail, the High Court had made it clear that its observations were solely for the purpose of the bail proceedings and that the trial court should proceed independently. The High Court had noted, “Given that the trial is likely to be protracted, no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping him in continued judicial custody.”
