Punjab court dismisses Bikram Singh Majithia’s bail plea in Rs 540-crore disproportionate assets case
A Mohali sessions court on August 18, 2025, dismissed the regular bail application of former Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia in a vigilance probe that alleges disproportionate assets of around Rs. 540 crore accumulated during his ten-year tenure as MLA and minister between 2007 and 2017.
Additional Sessions Judge Hardip Singh's decision followed extended arguments and a detailed perusal of the documentary material placed on record by both parties.
The FIR at the centre of the proceedings is numbered 22 and dated June 25, 2025, registered at the Vigilance Bureau, Mohali, under Sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The vigilance agency told the court that the investigation unearthed a history of unexplained cash deposits, alleged benami arrangements, shell entities and suspected cross-border financial routing that require further forensic examination.
Prosecution submissions, recorded in the order, focused on financial records linked to Saraya Industries Ltd and associated companies. The state placed before the court figures it described as anomalous, including unexplained cash deposits of about Rs. 161 crore between 2007 and 2009 and additional unexplained inflows of roughly Rs. 236 crore in 2012–14. The investigating agency alleged the use of numerous proxy bank accounts, foreign entities and transfers, and acquisition of high-value assets in different states through intermediaries.
Investigators informed the court that digital devices and documents seized during searches are undergoing detailed forensic analysis and that custodial interrogation was sought at stages to confront the accused with voluminous material and to trace benami holders and concealed properties. The state argued that release of the accused at this juncture could hamper recovery of proceeds and endanger witnesses and evidence.
Majithia’s counsel 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. The counsel also pointed to an NCLT order dated May 17, 2022, placing Saraya Industries under liquidation, and relied on earlier Supreme Court directions in related NDPS litigation.
Moreover, Majithia’s counsel argued the allegations in the present FIR overlap with those in the earlier NDPS case (FIR No. 2/2021), 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.
Court addressed the defence contention that a second FIR was barred, and observed that a fresh FIR may be permissible where further investigation discloses distinct offences or facts requiring a different investigative approach.
Applying settled principles for economic offences, the judge noted the need to weigh the seriousness of accusations, the character of material on record and risks of tampering with witnesses or evidence at the bail stage.
Court noted that Majithia was arrested on June 25, 2025, produced before the court on June 26, remanded to police custody for specified periods and later placed in judicial custody as the probe advanced.
After hearing both sides and perusing voluminous records, the Additional Sessions Judge concluded that prima facie material on record militated against grant of regular bail and dismissed the application. Court directed that the bail order be attached to the main file and stated that the dismissal would not affect the merits of the prosecution’s case.
Case Title: Bikram Singh Majithia vs State of Punjab
Order Date: Augsut 18, 2025
Judge: ASJ Hardip Singh