Majithia to remain in shared barrack as court defers plea for separate jail cell

Hindustan Times

15-07-2025

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia will remain lodged with undertrial and convicted prisoners, as a Mohali court on Monday adjourned the hearing on his plea seeking a separate cell in jail. The matter was deferred to July 17 after the special public prosecutor sought exemption from appearance. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia will remain lodged with undertrial and convicted prisoners, as a Mohali court on Monday adjourned the hearing on his plea seeking a separate cell in jail. The matter was deferred to July 17 after the special public prosecutor sought exemption from appearance. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ Representational image)
Majithia, currently in judicial custody in connection with a disproportionate assets case allegedly involving the laundering of ₹540 crore in drug money, had filed an application on July 12 requesting to be shifted to a personal cell. Citing his Z-plus security cover and high-profile political background, Majithia argued that housing him with general inmates poses serious threats to his safety.
With the prosecution absent, the court could not proceed with the scheduled hearing, and Majithia will continue to stay in shared barracks until the next hearing.
In a related development, Majithia has also filed a regular bail application, which is set for hearing on July 22. The court has issued notice to the state government, seeking its formal reply before the hearing.
Majithia was arrested on June 25 from his Amritsar residence by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in connection with an investigation into assets allegedly disproportionate to his known sources of income. After spending 12 days in police remand, he was sent to judicial custody on July 6, as the Vigilance Bureau did not seek an extension of the remand.
In his application, Majithia emphasised the need for special lodging arrangements, highlighting the security risks associated with his status as a senior political figure and a former cabinet minister.
Meanwhile, SAD leaders have slammed the AAP-led Punjab government, calling the treatment of Majithia an 'act of political vendetta'.
The current case is part of an ongoing probe by a Punjab Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the 2021 drug case, in which Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, based on a 2018 report by the anti-drug Special Task Force (STF). He had earlier spent over five months in Patiala jail, before being granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court in August 2022.
Ganieve meets Majithia
Patiala SAD MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia met her husbnd Bikram Singh Majithia in Nabha jail of Patiala district on Monday. After the meeting that lasted around one hour and 25 minutes, Ganieve said while addressing mediapersons that her husband was in high spirits and undeterred. 'He will not be intimidated,' she asserted.
A Mohali court had on July 6 sent Majithia to 14 days of judicial custody in a disproportionate assets (DA) case, linked to alleged laundering of ₹540 crore in drug money. Majithia was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau from his residence in Green Avenue, Amritsar, on June 25 this year. HTC