The Mohali court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia till September 6 in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.
The Akali leader, whose previous judicial remand ended on Thursday, appeared before the court via video conferencing. His plea seeking a change of barrack in Nabha Jail is scheduled to be heard on August 30. He was arrested on June 25 by the vigilance bureau from his Amritsar residence and is currently lodged in Nabha Jail.
On August 22, the vigilance bureau filed a voluminous 40,000-page chargesheet. The court also directed that a copy of the chargesheet be handed over to Majithia on September 2.
The chargesheet, filed before additional sessions judge Hardeep Singh, lists around 250 witnesses, including leaders from the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP. It also contains investigation reports from about 400 banks and institutions, allegedly revealing illegal and unaccounted assets. Vigilance officials said that all witnesses have been examined and their statements recorded.
Earlier, on August 18, the Mohali court had rejected Majithia’s regular bail plea, after the vigilance argued that the investigation was still underway and granting bail could allow him to tamper with evidence and influence witnesses.
Majithia has now approached the Punjab and Haryana high court for relief, his counsel Arshdeep Singh Kler confirmed.
The disproportionate assets case stems from an ongoing probe by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police, which is investigating his alleged role in the 2021 drug case.
{{/usCountry}}The disproportionate assets case stems from an ongoing probe by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Punjab Police, which is investigating his alleged role in the 2021 drug case.
{{/usCountry}}Majithia had earlier been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, based on a 2018 report. He spent over five months in Patiala Jail before being granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court in August 2022.