Punjab vigilance raids Bikram Majithia’s residence; Majithia claims illegal entry and Political persecution
Chandigarh: Bikram Singh Majithia has been arrested by Punjab Vigilance at his residence in Amritsar. In a video statement, he alleged that Vigilance officials planted something at his home as a pretext to arrest him.
A Punjab Vigilance Bureau team raided the house of senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and erstwhile cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation into a case of smuggling drugs. The raid by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) relates to the FIR filed against Majithia under the NDPS Act in December 2021.
As per AAP leader and spokesperson Baltej Pannu, the raid was carried out to gather more evidence pertaining to the high-profile drug case, which has been under legal scrutiny for more than three years. The Vigilance Bureau stated that they had gone to the Mohali court to obtain a formal search warrant.
The details of the warrant or its sanction, however, are still under court proceedings at present.
In retaliation, Bikram Singh Majithia and his wife, Majitha MLA Ganieve Majithia, have vehemently opposed the raid calling it an illegal intrusion into their private house without giving any valid cause or legal reason. Posting on social media site X (formerly Twitter), Majithia claimed that the Vigilance team entered their house forcefully and that no advance notice or reason was given.
👉ਮੈਂ ਬਹੁਤ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਹੀ ਦੱਸ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਸੀ ਕਿ ਜਦੋਂ ਨਸ਼ਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਝੂਠੇ ਕੇਸ ਵਿਚ ਮੇਰੇ ਖਿਲਾਫ਼ ਭਗਵੰਤ ਮਾਨ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਲੱਭਾ ਤਾਂ ਹੁਣ ਮੇਰੇ ਖਿਲਾਫ਼ ਇਕ ਨਵਾਂ ਝੂਠਾ ਕੇਸ ਦਰਜ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਤਿਆਰੀ ਹੈ।
👉ਅੱਜ ਵਿਜੀਲੈਂਸ ਦੇ SSP ਦੀ ਅਗਵਾਈ ਹੇਠ ਟੀਮ ਨੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਛਾਪੇਮਾਰੀ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ।
👉ਭਗਵੰਤ ਮਾਨ ਜੀ ਇਹ ਗੱਲ ਸਮਝ ਲਓ, ਜਿੰਨੇ ਮਰਜ਼ੀ ਪਰਚੇ… pic.twitter.com/D0iDbb3BO4— Bikram Singh Majithia (@bsmajithia) June 25, 2025
“This is nothing but political harassment,” Majithia said. “The officers defied High Court orders and entered our residence to defame and intimidate us.”
Ganieve Majithia also made a public statement denouncing the Vigilance action, saying that the family had not even been told the reason for the raid and that the officers had refused to display any valid court order. “What sort of law permits government officers to enter somebody’s home without proper process?” she asked.
In the meantime, officials privy to the investigation have hinted that the SIT is moving on the orders of higher ups to strangulate the case against Majithia, who had already been granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2022. The court had permitted the investigation to proceed under judicial supervision.
The political repercussions followed soon. Shiromani Akali Dal has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab government misused state machinery in order to take revenge on political rivals. The SAD leaders said that the AAP government failed to rule and has now turned to vendetta.
Conversely, government sources have continued saying that the Vigilance Bureau is working within the law and that the raid was a step towards strengthening the investigation. They further stated that everything was done in accordance with the law.
The issue has now come before the Mohali court, where a hearing will be conducted on the legality of the raid and if the SIT had the right judicial support to carry out the search.
The matter pertaining to Bikram Singh Majithia is of December 2021 when he was formally booked on serious charges of aiding international drug trafficking networks while being a minister. Majithia had refuted all charges as politically motivated and was released on bail in 2022 following several months of detention.
With the legal and political battle ongoing, everyone is waiting with bated breath for the Mohali court to decide if the actions of the Vigilance Bureau hold water and chart the further course of the proceedings in the contentious case.
