The Punjab and Haryana High Court has listed for hearing on Friday the petition filed by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikramjit Singh Majithia against his arrest and remand in a disproportionate assets case registered against him by the Vigilance Bureau (VB).
The matter came up before the bench of Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya, who adjourned the hearing for a day to allow Majithia’s counsel Arshdeep Singh Kler to place a fresh remand order issued in the case. Kler said the court asked for placing Majithia’s fresh remand order on record.
A Mohali court had, on June 26, sent Majithia to seven-day vigilance remand. His remand was extended by four days on Wednesday. The VB had arrested Majithia on June 25 in a disproportionate assets case allegedly involving laundering of Rs 540 crore of “drug money”.
Majithia had challenged his arrest in the high court on July 1, calling it “political witch-hunting and vendetta” for being a vocal critic of the ruling regime. He sought appropriate relief against his “illegal” arrest and the subsequent remand granted under the FIR registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Majithia submitted that the FIR against him is “patently illegal” while his arrest was carried out in “gross violation of settled legal procedures”.
“The remand application filed by the investigating agency lacked any concrete or urgent investigative ground and merely relied on broad, speculative allegations such as the petitioner’s alleged influence, foreign connections and general statements about the need to confront him with documents or digital devices,” said the petition.
Majithia submitted that the Supreme Court, in its detailed order on March 4, had refused custodial interrogation of the petitioner despite the same allegations being pressed before it through multiple affidavits filed by the state government. The present petition, therefore, raises important questions of law and principle concerning abuse of criminal process, misuse of remand powers and the right to fair investigation and liberty, the petitioner said.
Follow us
