Bikram Majithia, 2 others granted bail in Majitha police station confrontation case

The court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge on Monday granted bail to senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Majithia, along with his associates, Jodh Singh Samra and Jatinder Pal Singh, in a case registered after an alleged confrontation at the Majitha police station.

Earlier, Majithia’s legal advisor Bikramjit Bath, also named in the FIR, was discharged after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) informed the court that he was not required in the case. Bath, a practising lawyer, had accompanied Majithia in his professional capacity to obtain a copy of the FIR registered against Akali supporter Jobanpreet Singh.

Bath’s implication had sparked protests by the Amritsar Bar Association, which accused the police and government of targeting lawyers. Following the protests, senior officers constituted an SIT that later concluded that Bath was innocent.

Jobanpreet Singh had allegedly been taken into custody in connection with the cases linked to recent municipal council and nagar panchayat elections. Akali Dal leaders claimed his detention was illegal and politically motivated, with his family not informed of his arrest.

Upon learning of the alleged confinement, Majithia, accompanied by party supporters and farmer leaders, staged a protest outside the police station, accusing the police of high-handedness.

According to police, Majithia and his supporters then entered the premises and tried to forcibly secure Jobanpreet’s release. The police alleged that Majithia snatched a sub-inspector’s mobile phone and tore official documents during the commotion. A case was subsequently registered against Majithia and others on charges of obstructing public servants and creating a disturbance at the police station.

Amanbir Singh Sayali, counsel for Jobanpreet, said the police could not produce the CCTV footage about the storming of the police station and the ruckus there, as sought by the court.