The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday declined to grant any relief to former cabinet minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikramjit Singh Majithia in connection with his alleged illegal arrest and remand in a disproportionate assets and corruption case.
Majithia was arrested on June 25 by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau under accusations of laundering Rs 540 crore of alleged drug money. On July 2, a Mohali court extended his remand for four more days.
During the High Court proceedings, Advocate General (AG) Punjab Maninderjit Singh Bedi raised a strong objection, stating that Majithia had not submitted a proper application challenging the remand order. Instead, he had only moved an application to place the latest remand order on record.
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“The petitioner claimed the application was filed under verbal directions of this Hon'ble Court, but no such oral or written directions were issued,” said AG Bedi, challenging the basis of the petition.
AG Bedi clarified that in its previous order dated July 3, the court had merely noted the case was adjourned on the petitioner’s request. The court only permitted an application to place the remand order on record after it was uploaded on the official website.
“Instead of following this direction, the petitioner filed a completely different application to replace the original petition with an amended one, without obtaining the court’s permission or complying with criminal procedure,” AG Bedi told the court.
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Hearing the matter, Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya dismissed the plea as withdrawn and scheduled the next hearing for July 8. The court also asked the AG to seek instructions in the interim.
In his plea, Majithia claimed that the entire case was politically motivated, describing it as a product of “political witch-hunting and vendetta” by the current government aimed at tarnishing his image, as he has been a vocal critic of the ruling dispensation.
He further alleged that the remand sought by the investigation agency lacked concrete or urgent investigative grounds, relying instead on speculative claims such as his supposed influence, foreign ties, and general need to confront him with documents or digital evidence.
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“There was a clear non-application of judicial mind and disregard of binding legal precedent and procedural safeguards,” the plea stated.
Majithia argued that the remand order was not only defective but also amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights under Articles 14, 20, and 21 of the Constitution, which protect equality before law, protection against self-incrimination, and the right to life and personal liberty.
The matter remains pending, with further instructions expected from the Advocate General's office in the upcoming hearing.