Mohali (Punjab): A Mohali court on Tuesday heard proceedings in the disproportionate assets case against Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia but deferred the framing of charges. The court indicated that the process is likely to be taken up next year, in 2026, and fixed January 3 as the next date of hearing.
The Vigilance Bureau had submitted the challan in the case on August 22, presenting an extensive chargesheet exceeding 40,000 pages. The documents, carried to the court in four trunks, list more than 200 witnesses cited by the investigating agency.
Majithia was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on June 25 from Amritsar on allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. He has denied the allegations. In an earlier development, a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was also registered against him in 2021 during the previous Congress government’s tenure in Punjab.
Investigators have so far recorded statements of six individuals, including former Punjab Director General of Police Siddharth Chattopadhyaya and a former deputy director of the Enforcement Directorate. Raids have also been conducted at properties linked to Majithia in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh as part of the probe.
While the Punjab government has maintained that the case is backed by substantial evidence, Majithia’s legal team has consistently described the proceedings as politically motivated and without merit. Separately, Majithia has moved the Supreme Court seeking bail after the High Court declined relief, with the apex court scheduled to hear the matter on January 19.
