Court Extends Majithia's VB Custody by 4 Days in DA Case

Majithia owns 400 hectares of benami property in Shimla, probe agency tells court

- Hillary Victor

MOHALI: The Mohali district court on Wednesday extended the vigilance remand of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia by four days in a disproportionate assets (DA) case, allegedly involving the laundering of ₹540 crore of 'drug money'.

Majithia, 50, was produced in the court amid tight security after his seven-day vigilance remand ended on Wednesday.

During the hearing, which lasted close to four hours, the prosecution accused Majithia of not cooperating with the probe agency.

The prosecution informed the court that further remand was necessary to investigate Majithia's alleged benami property spread across 400 hectares in Shimla, adding that he was not cooperating with the investigation. The prosecution also submitted relevant documents pertaining to the Shimla property in court to support the remand request.

Speaking to the media after the hearing, public prosecutors Ferry Sofat and Preet Inder Pal Singh said the remand was extended after the VB filed an application seeking additional custodial interrogation.

Majithia was arrested on June 25 in the case allegedly involving the laundering of ₹540 crore of 'drug money'.

A detailed seven-page FIR, registered in VB (flying squad) police station, Mohali, by AIG Swarandeep Singh is based on the SIT's investigation into the 2021 drug-trafficking case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act registered against Majithia under the Congress government. The FIR outlines an extensive money trail linking shell companies, suspicious foreign transactions and unexplained asset accumulation. The action was taken on the basis of a 2018 report of the anti-drug Special Task Force.