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Majithia’s plea for barrack change: Mohali court directs ADGP (prisons) to submit report by July 25
Mohali court orders report on jail compliance by July 25 for SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia's barrack change request amid ongoing legal proceedings.
The Mohali court on Tuesday directed additional director general of police (prisons) to submit a report by July 25, clarifying whether the Punjab Jail Department is complying with the jail manual, while hearing the change of jail barrack application filed by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who is currently lodged in Nabha Jail under judicial custody in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
The court also issued notice to the state on a regular bail application filed by Majithia. Hearings of both cases were deferred to July 25.
Another application for the handover of keys of Majithia’s Mashobra house, currently sealed by the vigilance bureau, was deferred to August 2 for arguments.
Appearing for Majithia, advocate Arshdeep Singh Kaler argued that under the jail manual, Majithia qualifies for ‘orange category’ facilities and should be lodged separately from other inmates due to a security threat. Arguments on all the petitions commenced at 2:30 PM and continued for nearly two hours.
Majithia was not produced in court on Tuesday by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. Special public prosecutors Ferry Sofat and Preet Inderpal Singh represented the state.
The court also directed the prosecution to provide copies of the grounds of arrest and the jail manual to the defence.
Majithia, who was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 25 from his Amritsar residence, faces charges of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. After 12 days in police custody, he was sent to judicial remand when the agency declined to seek further extension.
In a petition filed on July 12, Majithia sought to be shifted to a separate barrack, citing his Z-plus security cover and perceived threats to his life. He argued that his current placement with other inmates compromised his safety and urged the court to ensure adequate protection while in custody.
Kaler said the court had already issued a notice to the state government regarding the bail application. “However, public prosecutors failed to file a reply, seeking an additional week to respond to the 630-page bail plea. We objected to the delay, arguing that the state had already submitted similar claims in an affidavit to the Supreme Court, which had been rejected,” Kaler said.
Taking note of the arguments, the court granted the state two additional days—until July 25—to submit its reply. It also directed the vigilance bureau to share a copy of the response with Majithia’s counsel before the next hearing.
During the proceedings, public prosecutors informed the court that Majithia had not submitted any formal complaint regarding the barrack to the jail superintendent and claimed that adequate security measures were already in place. The court forwarded the state’s response to the ADGP (Prisons) for verification and directed him to provide clarity on compliance with jail regulations.
The FIR against Majithia in the disproportionate assets case stems from an ongoing investigation by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police, which is also probing the 2021 drug case.
Majithia was earlier booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act based on a 2018 report by the state’s Anti-Drug Special Task Force (STF). He had spent over five months in Patiala Jail before being released on bail in August 2022 following an order from the Punjab and Haryana high court.
