The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday directed the Punjab Government to file a response within two weeks to former minister Bikram Singh Majithia’s plea for anticipatory bail in a disproportionate assets (DA) case lodged in July.
Majithia, the senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Sukhbir Singh Badal’s brother-in-law, moved the high court after an Amritsar court turned down his plea for anticipatory bail. He was arrested from his residence on June 30 and has been lodged in New Nabha Jail near Patiala since then. His judicial custody, initially extended up to August 28, was further extended to September 6.
A Mohali court also rejected his bail application on August 19 on the grounds of the seriousness of the charges and the investigation in progress. On August 22, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau submitted a 40,000-page chargesheet against him. The court also rejected his application for solitary confinement, asking him to occupy a barrack with other prisoners.
The Vigilance Bureau claims that Majithia earned Rs 540 crore in shell companies. On September 8, the Punjab Cabinet, led by Bhagwant Mann, gave sanction to prosecution under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Majithia went first to the high court on July 3, seeking relief in connection with what he termed his “illegal arrest and remand.” Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya issued notice to the state government and ordered the case to be heard again on September 23.
The case has caused a lot of attention because of Majithia’s political profile and the scale of the alleged assets, as well as constant concern regarding corruption and financial malpractices by public officials.
