AMRITSAR, 26 June — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia was arrested in Amritsar on Wednesday by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) after a fresh case was registered against him for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The arrest followed simultaneous raids at 25 properties linked to Majithia, including nine in Amritsar district.
According to a senior VB official, Majithia will be produced before the Amritsar district court around 3 p.m. “A first information report has been registered, and a formal statement will be issued shortly,” the official said, adding that the searches were part of a continuing investigation into Majithia’s financial dealings, which began during the probe into a 2021 drug-trafficking case.
Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of SAD chief and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, is already facing charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He was arrested in February 2022 in that case and remained in judicial custody for several months before being granted regular bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in August 2022. The Supreme Court later upheld his bail in April 2025 but imposed strict conditions, including restrictions on making public statements or attempting to influence witnesses.
The Vigilance Bureau claims that new financial documents and records linked to Majithia reveal substantial discrepancies between his declared income and assets, triggering the registration of a new FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“The current case stems from findings connected to the ongoing probe into the 2021 drug case,” said an official familiar with the investigation. “There are multiple questionable financial transactions, including suspicious links to individuals already under the scanner for drug-related offences.”
Majithia had been summoned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) as recently as March 2025 for questioning about alleged hawala routes and financial conduits suspected of laundering money for drug cartels operating in Punjab and abroad.
Soon after the raids began at his Amritsar residence on Wednesday morning, Majithia took to social media platform X to voice his defiance. “A long time ago, I had already stated that when the Bhagwant Mann government couldn’t find anything against me in the false drug case, they would try to frame me in another fabricated case,” he wrote. “Bhagwant Mann ji, understand this clearly — no matter how many cases you file against me, I will neither be afraid nor will your government be able to suppress my voice.”
He went on to add, “I have always spoken about the issues of Punjab, and I will continue to do so. I have complete faith in the Almighty and Guru Sahib. In the end, truth will prevail.”
Outside the residence, tension escalated quickly. Punjab Police commandos were deployed and barricades erected to prevent any untoward incident as SAD workers began assembling at the spot, shouting slogans against the state government and the VB’s action.
Majithia’s wife, Ganieve Kaur, an MLA from Majitha, condemned the raid in strong terms. “Thirty people forcibly barged into our house by pushing the doors this morning. This is our private residence. Nobody can do this,” she said. She added that the timing of the raid was deeply distressing, as the family was preparing to leave for the Golden Temple when officers entered the home.
Visibly angered, Majithia also accused the raiding team of traumatising his family. “My wife and children were preparing to go pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. The Vigilance men barged in and terrorised them. This is not law enforcement. This is harassment,” he said before being taken into custody.
Political observers note that the timing of the arrest, coming ahead of key assembly debates and increasing electoral mobilisations, could inflame tensions between the Aam Aadmi Party-led government and the opposition SAD. While the government is yet to issue a detailed statement, officials within the administration maintained that the action was based purely on investigative evidence and not political considerations.
SAD leaders, meanwhile, described the case as a “textbook example of vendetta politics,” accusing the Mann government of targeting political rivals instead of addressing governance and law and order challenges in the state.
As of Wednesday evening, Majithia remained in custody, with his legal team preparing to contest the latest charges. Further details of the seized documents and the financial irregularities cited by the Vigilance Bureau are expected to emerge in the coming days.
