Chandigarh- Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has approved prosecution of former Akali Dal minister Bikram Singh Majithia in a corruption case registered by the state Vigilance Bureau. The approval has been issued under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act after the Punjab Cabinet recommended it on September 8.
Majithia is accused of amassing assets worth over Rs 700 crore, which is about 1,200 per cent more than his declared income. The assets were allegedly acquired through money laundering of Rs 540 crore linked to a 2013 drug smuggling network. Government sources have confirmed the Governor’s approval.
Akali leader Bikram Majithia, a three-time MLA from Majithia, was arrested on June 25 after morning raids were conducted at his residence in Amritsar and 25 other places. During the operation, the Vigilance Bureau seized digital devices, property documents and financial records.
On June 26, a Mohali court sent him to seven-day police remand, which was later extended by four days. On July 6, he was sent to judicial custody.
The Vigilance Bureau filed a detailed chargesheet on August 22, based on over 40,000 pages of evidence and statements of over 200 witnesses. The probe began in 2013 with the Enforcement Directorate’s probe into a Rs 6,000-crore synthetic drug racket led by former DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola, who allegedly named Majithia during interrogation.
Although the previous drug-related charges were dismissed by the courts, the current case focuses on corruption and money laundering. Majithia has already rejected these allegations, calling them political vendettas.