A Mohali court on Sunday sent senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia to judicial custody till July 19, after the end of his four-day extended remand. The court of Duty Magistrate Gurleen Kaur ordered that Majithia be lodged at New Nabha Jail, following arguments from both the prosecution and defence.
Majithia, who was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau (VB) on June 25 from his Amritsar residence in a disproportionate assets case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, was initially remanded to seven days’ custody, later extended by four more days. During this period, he was taken to Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, reportedly in connection with the probe into Saraya Industries.
Amid heightened tensions, the Mohali court complex was turned into a security fortress, with multi-district police deployment. Despite it being a Sunday, police maintained a heavy presence and detained several SAD leaders and workers. Others were either placed under house arrest or stopped en route to Mohali.
Government counsel alleged discrepancies between Majithia’s property documents and records recovered during raids. Majithia’s lawyer, Arshdeep Kaler, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, stating, “Those fabricating lies will have to face the court.”
The developments have further strained the political atmosphere in Punjab, with the SAD calling the action a targeted political vendetta by the AAP-led State Government.