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By Gurmail Singh

Majithia Arrested In Rs 542 Crore Money Laundering Case, Gets 7-day Remand - Aman Arora

Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau from Amritsar on June 25, 2025.

The arrest was made in a disproportionate assets case related to drug money, in which he is accused of possessing illegal assets worth Rs 540 crore. A Mohali court on June 26, 2025, sent Majithia to 7-day vigilance remand, the next hearing of which will be on July 2, 2025.

The vigilance had sought a 12-day remand in the court, but the court granted a 7-day remand. The public prosecutor claimed that Majithia’s company, Saraya, saw an unexplained increase in his income of Rs 540 crore after he became a minister in 2007. Majithia’s lawyers said that the report on which the case was registered has already been rejected by the Supreme Court. The case has taken on a political hue.

Akali Dal leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder termed it a “murder of democracy” and a “blatant failure” of the government. On the other hand, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party leaders said the action was taken as per the legal process and new revelations may come to light.

Majithia’s supporters were detained outside the court for security reasons, and Akali leader Daljit Cheema was also stopped near the court. The investigation into the case is ongoing, and the vigilance team is trying to collect more evidence.

Political reactions in Punjab have been heated over the arrest and 7-day vigilance remand of Bikram Singh Majithia.

● Shiromani Akali Dal (Akali Dal): The Akali Dal termed the arrest as a “political vendetta” by the government and a “murder of democracy”. Senior leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government targeted Majithia in the throes of defeat in the 2022 elections.

Akali leaders alleged that the action was an attempt to illegally reopen old cases, which have already been quashed by the Supreme Court. Akali Dal supporters protested outside the court, but the police detained several.

● Aam Aadmi Party (AAP): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP leaders termed the action as legal and justified. Mann said that the Vigilance probe is independent and it is necessary to investigate the serious allegations levelled against Majithia.

The AAP spokesperson insisted that the investigation into evidence related to Majithia’s assets and income could bring new revelations. He described it as part of the government’s “zero tolerance against corruption” policy.

● Congress and other parties: The Congress has made little official statement on the matter, but some local Congress leaders have called it a political drama on social media. The BJP has also not officially reacted, but given the BJP-Akali ties in Punjab, their silence is being seen as a political strategy.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Amritsar North Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh has reacted sharply to the arrest and vigilance remand of Bikram Singh Majithia.

He posted on Social Media Posts on 25 June 2025, calling the vigilance action wrong and raising questions. He said that when Majithia was in jail, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s government neither interrogated nor presented a chargesheet, but granted Majithia bail.

He also accused the government of compromising with the accused in the Bargari sacrilege case. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a former 1998 batch IPS officer, had led the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the 2015 Kotkapura firing incident.

After the Punjab and Haryana High Court rejected the SIT report in 2021, he resigned from the police service and joined the AAP in June 2021. In the 2022 Punjab assembly elections, he won from the Amritsar North seat by a margin of 29,000 votes. However, he has often questioned the policies of the AAP government and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, especially over the investigation into the 2015 sacrilege cases.

He resigned from the chairmanship of the Government Assurance Committee of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in 2023, due to differences with his government over the investigation into the sacrilege cases. In February 2025, he openly demanded that Bhagwant Mann be removed from the post of Chief Minister, as he believed that “bad governance” in Punjab led to AAP’s defeat in the Delhi assembly elections.

His reaction to Majithia’s arrest is part of his earlier rebellious attitude against the government. His remarks created a stir in political circles as it is unusual for a ruling party MLA to support an Akali leader. Kunwar Vijay Pratap’s stand is being linked to his popularity in the Sikh community and his continued demand for justice in the 2015 sacrilege cases.

● Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab President and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab President and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora accused Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia of money laundering worth Rs 542 crore during a press conference on June 25, 2025.

He said that the Vigilance investigation has raised questions about Majithia’s assets and financial activities, which claimed Rs 161 crore in cash and Rs 141 crore transferred through foreign channels. Arora asserted that if Majithia is innocent, then he need not worry, but if proven guilty, the law will take its course. During this press conference, Arora also highlighted the Punjab government’s “war on drugs”, stating that Majithia’s arrest and investigation is part of the government’s zero tolerance policy against drug trafficking and corruption.

He said that mothers of Punjab, who lost their sons to drugs, deserve justice, and the government is working in this direction. However, the Akali Dal has termed the charges as “political vendetta”, and Majithia’s supporters have termed the Vigilance action as a violation of past Supreme Court judgments. The issue has sparked a heated debate in Punjab politics, with political tensions between the AAP and the Akali Dal increasing.

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