Chandigarh, Jul 4 (PTI) — The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed Punjab's Advocate General to submit a response to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia's request challenging his arrest and remand in a case concerning disproportionate assets.
During the proceedings, Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya postponed the hearing to July 8, declining to grant any interim relief to Majithia. The court also instructed Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi to gather instructions regarding the plea. Arshdeep Singh Kler, representing Majithia, briefed the media following the hearing.
According to Kler, the court has requested that an amended remand order be placed on record. He explained that on July 3, a fresh remand order from the Mohali court, initially indicating July 5, had been amended to reflect July 6. The High Court has now requested this amended order for official documentation.
Majithia, who was detained in connection with the disproportionate assets case, was placed under a seven-day vigilance remand by the Mohali court starting June 26. Following the conclusion of this remand period, the court extended it by an additional four days on July 2.
He was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 25 in a case allegedly involving the laundering of Rs 540 crore in "drug money". On July 1, Majithia approached the High Court, denouncing the case as "political witch-hunting and vendetta," alleging it was orchestrated due to his vocal criticism of the current administration. He sought relief from what he described as his "illegal" arrest and subsequent remand granted under the FIR filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The petition challenges the FIR as "patently illegal," asserting that his arrest contravenes established legal protocols. The remand application, as per the plea, lacks substantial investigative justifications and primarily rests on speculative claims regarding Majithia's alleged influence, international connections, and general statements about the necessity to confront him with certain documents or digital devices.
Additionally, the plea notes that the Supreme Court, via a comprehensive order on March 4, declined requests for custodial interrogation despite repeated allegations from the State of Punjab through multiple affidavits. Majithia's petition raises critical legal and principled questions about the abuse of criminal procedure, misuse of remand authority, and the right to a fair investigation and liberty, urging the court to annul the remand order and curb further misuse of legal processes.
The FIR against Majithia arises from an ongoing investigation by a special investigation team of Punjab Police into a 2021 drug case. He was previously charged under the NDPS Act in 2021, linked to a 2018 report from an anti-drug Special Task Force. Majithia spent over five months in Patiala Jail before being granted bail by the High Court in August 2022.
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