Punjab Vigilance Bureau files 40,000-page charge sheet against Akali leader Majithia

Chandigarh, Aug 22 Within 59 days of arrest, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Friday filed a 40,000-page charge sheet in a Mohali court against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who was arrested in a disproportionate assets case.

The chargesheet exposed Rs 700 crore illegal assets, cited testimonies of 200 witnesses and detailed 400 bank accounts with raids across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.

Statements of several Akali Dal and BJP leaders were also recorded.

The Vigilance Bureau arrested Majithia from his post residence in Amritsar on June 25. He’s currently in judicial custody at New Nabha jail near Patiala.

Earlier this week, the Mohali court rejected the bail plea of Majithia after holding a day-to-day hearing for at least 10 days.

Public prosecutor Ferry Sofat had said the bail application was dismissed on two grounds: First, an investigation is underway and second, the serious nature of the alleged offences.

On August 14, the court extended his judicial custody till August 28. Earlier, he was sent to judicial custody on July 6, and his judicial remand was extended on July 19 and on August 2.

Majithia’s counsel had rejected the allegations as politically motivated.

Counsel emphasised that Majithia had resigned as Director of Saraya Industries before entering public life and that many entries relied upon by the probe are reflected in income tax returns and assessments.

Also, Majithia’s counsel argued the allegations in the present FIR overlap with those in the earlier NDPS case, where the prosecution had portrayed the same funds as "drug money". They contended that the Vigilance Bureau is now re-characterising the same money as disproportionate assets, amounting to a second FIR on identical allegations.

The Vigilance Bureau arrested Majithia on charges of laundering more than Rs 540 crore of drug money.

Investigations by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the police probing the first information report (FIR) of 2021 and the Vigilance Bureau revealed massive laundering of drug money facilitated by Majithia, the government has said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that more than Rs 540 crore of drug money has been laundered through several ways, including a huge unaccounted cash of Rs 161 crore deposited in bank accounts of companies controlled by Majithia, channelisation of Rs 141 crore through suspected foreign entities and excess deposition of Rs 236 crore without disclosure or explanation in company financial statements.

Also, the government has said there is an acquisition of movable and immovable assets by Majithia without any legitimate source of income.

A Vigilance Bureau spokesperson has told the media that it has registered a case based on a report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) registered under Sections 25, 27-A and 29 of the NDPS Act, wherein substantial evidence has been uncovered indicating massive laundering of drug money by Majithia.

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