Mohali Court Orders Vigilance Bureau to 'Immediately Stop' Raids at Majithia's Properties
The Special Court in Mohali on Monday directed the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) to immediately stop its ongoing searches at the premises of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia and ordered that any further action be taken only with prior notice and within the scope of the search warrants.
Hardip Singh, Judge Special Court, SAS Nagar, passed the directions while hearing an application filed by Majithia seeking recall of the search warrants issued on July 14.
Majithia's counsel argued that the warrants were only for the evaluation of movable and immovable properties, but the VB had gone beyond its mandate by deploying multiple teams across Amritsar, Majitha and Delhi and conducting raids that resembled full-fledged searches. It was also alleged that the investigating officer who sought the warrants did not execute them himself and instead authorised others without proper authority.
Court took note of these submissions and also the response of the VB, which maintained that its actions were in compliance with the court’s orders and that the officers involved were duly authorised by the Chief Director of the Vigilance Bureau.
During the hearing, Majithia’s counsel stated that they would have no objection if the VB only evaluated the articles listed in the recovery memos already submitted in court, along with the land, building and fixtures, as long as it was done in the presence of his lawyer. The State agreed to this, with an assurance that only the listed items would be evaluated.
Taking this on record, court directed that the ongoing search operations be stopped immediately and that a report of all the proceedings carried out so far be submitted.
It further ordered that a fresh evaluation may be conducted in the presence of Advocate Arshdeep Singh Kler, who shall not interfere with the process but may inform the court through an affidavit if the investigating team exceeds its scope.
The VB has also been asked to inform Majithia’s legal team at least one day in advance before visiting any of the three properties under scrutiny. The court has adjourned the matter to July 22 for further proceedings.
Majithia was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on June 25 in a case accusing him of holding assets worth over Rs. 540 crore, far beyond his known sources of income. The case is based on findings by a special investigation team and a report by former Punjab DGP Sidharth Chattopadhyaya, which flagged suspected laundering of drug money.
Majithia has denied all allegations and termed the action against him as politically motivated. The Akali Dal is accusing the AAP-led government of using the Vigilance Bureau to settle scores.
Case Title: State of Punjab Vs Bikram Singh Majithia