CHANDIGARH: Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has approved the prosecution of former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister Bikram Singh Majithia in a corruption case registered by the state Vigilance Bureau.
The approval was granted under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, following the Punjab Cabinet’s recommendation on September 8. Majithia is accused of amassing assets worth over ₹700 crore — nearly 1,200 per cent more than his declared income — allegedly acquired through money laundering of ₹540 crore linked to a 2013 drug trafficking network, government sources said.
The Akali leader, a three-time MLA from Majithia, was arrested on June 25 after simultaneous raids were conducted at his residence in Amritsar and 25 other locations. During the operation, the Vigilance Bureau seized digital equipment, property documents and financial records.
A court in Mohali sent Majithia to seven-day police remand on June 26, later extended by four days. He was remanded in judicial custody on July 6.
The Vigilance Bureau filed a detailed chargesheet on August 22, comprising over 40,000 pages of evidence and statements from more than 200 witnesses. The probe traces back to 2013, when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) began investigating a ₹6,000 crore synthetic drug racket led by former DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola, who had allegedly named Majithia during interrogation.
While previous drug-related charges against Majithia were dismissed by the courts, the current case centres on corruption and money laundering. Majithia has termed the allegations “politically motivated.”
