In the early hours of the morning, under the watchful gaze of Punjab Police and amidst a sea of Akali workers, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia stepped into the Patiala district office. This marked yet another chapter in an ongoing drug case saga that has kept Majithia in the public eye and under legal scrutiny.
The Summoning of Majithia
Majithia was summoned by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), currently helmed by Deputy Inspector General Harcharan Singh Bhullar. The former minister’s appearance was underpinned by stringent security measures and an impressive show of support from Akali supporters. This spectacle, however, is not an unfamiliar one for Majithia. The Akali leader had found himself in a similar position on December 30, 2023, and before that, on December 18, both times interrogated by an SIT led by the then additional director general of police, Mukhwinder Singh Chhina.
Change in Leadership
With Chhina’s retirement on December 31, a new SIT was formed under the stewardship of Bhullar. This change in leadership, while procedural, has reignited public interest in the case and added a fresh layer of complexity to Majithia’s legal predicament.
The Roots of the Case
The roots of Majithia’s legal battles stretch back to December 20, 2021. He was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act based on a 2018 anti-drug Special Task Force report during the tenure of then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi of the Congress government. Following his arrest, Majithia spent over five months in Patiala jail, only to be granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in August 2022.
As Majithia continues to navigate the murky waters of this drug case, one thing is certain: the eyes of the public, the Akali Dal, and the law enforcement agencies will remain firmly fixed on him.
