Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab legislator Bikram Singh Majithiawho faces charges in a disproportionate assets investigation.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the petitioner had earlier secured bail in a 2022 case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. They further noted that the Punjab government’s objection to this bail was dismissed in 2025.
Benchmark noted that while the FIR for the disproportionate assets case was filed in 2025, the allegations span the time frame from 2006 to 2017. Given these conditions and the fact that Majithia has been in custody for the past seven months, the Supreme Court approved his bail application.
The case was brought under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 following allegations that Majithia had amassed assets exceeding ₹540 crore over his known income. He was taken into custody by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 25 last year and is currently lodged in Nabha Jail in Patiala.
In December, the Punjab and Haryana High Court rejected his bail plea citing concerns that he could influence the ongoing investigation. At the time, the High Court had directed the Vigilance Bureau to conclude its investigation within a three-month period, indicating that Majithia could seek release again after that.
Earlier, the apex court had agreed to review the SAD chief’s interim bail application. The current charges against him stem from a wider investigation by the Punjab Police Special Team in the 2021 narcotics case.
In January, SAD representatives met the Punjab governor in Chandigarh and alleged that the state administration had failed to provide adequate protection to Majithia despite intelligence warnings of a security risk.
The party called on Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to intervene and expressed lack of confidence in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s ability to ensure the safety of the former minister.
In their formal submission, senior party leaders highlighted what they called a “serious threat” to his security and cited potential violations of his constitutional rights.
“Nothing concrete has been done to protect the life of Majithia and his family members, despite directions from the apex court following information from central intelligence agencies that he was likely to be targeted for elimination by the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI),” the SAD proxy said.
Notably, Majithia is the brother-in-law of SAD chief and former chief minister Sukhbir Badal.