Bikram Singh Majithia: Life, politics and controversies

Bikram Singh Majithia’s arrest on June 25 by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau marks another tumultuous chapter in the saga of one of Punjab’s most polarising political figures. Booked in a disproportionate assets case, Majithia was taken into custody after simultaneous raids at 25 locations, including his Amritsar residence. The dramatic arrest unfolded amid allegations of heavy-handedness — his wife, Ganieve Kaur Majithia, an MLA herself, claimed officials locked family members in rooms, denied access to lawyers and media, and entered without prior notice. In a video statement, Majithia blamed the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for orchestrating a campaign of political vendetta. “Bhagwant Mann, your threats cannot silence me. I will keep raising my voice for Punjab and Punjabis,” he declared defiantly.

Drug allegations against Bikram Singh Majithia stem from a 2018 report by the Punjab Police’s Special Task Force (STF), which recommended further investigation into his alleged role in facilitating a massive synthetic drug racket. Based on this report, an FIR was registered in December 2021 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, accusing Majithia of providing logistical and financial support to key players in the drug trade, including former wrestler-turned-cop Jagdish Bhola, Maninder Singh Aulakh, and pharmaceutical businessman Jagjit Singh Chahal.

Jagdish Bhola, who was arrested in 2013 after drugs worth over ₹20 crore were seized from his residence, reportedly named Majithia during his interrogation. Bhola alleged that Majithia had facilitated connections between drug traffickers and political power, and that he had instructed associates like Aulakh to assist international smugglers such as Satta, a Canada-based operative. Bhola’s statements, along with those of other accused, formed the backbone of the STF’s case, though no direct recovery was ever made from Majithia himself.

Despite the gravity of the allegations, the case saw slow progress. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, while granting Majithia bail in 2022, noted that there was no material on record showing direct possession or recovery of contraband from him. However, the court allowed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to continue probing financial transactions linked to Majithia and his family, including alleged overseas dealings. In March 2025, the SIT reported “suspicious financial transactions” and summoned him again for questioning.

Majithia has consistently denied all charges, calling the case a product of political vendetta. He maintains that the allegations are baseless and aimed at silencing his criticism of the ruling government. The Supreme Court upheld his bail in April 2025 but barred him from influencing witnesses or making public statements about the case.

Majithia’s political journey has always walked the tightrope between prominence and provocation. Born into the aristocratic Majithia family, he is the son of Satyajit Singh Majithia, who was a powerful politician. Then Bikram became the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and the brother of Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. His electoral career began in 2007 when he was elected MLA from Majitha, a stronghold he retained through the 2012 and 2017 elections. In 2022, he made a high-stakes shift, contesting from the urban Amritsar East seat but lost to AAP’s Jeevan Jyot Kaur. Meanwhile, his wife secured victory in Majitha, preserving the family’s hold there.

As a cabinet minister in the Parkash Singh Badal-led government, Majithia was entrusted with heavyweight portfolios including Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, Information and Public Relations, Non-Conventional Energy, Science and Technology, and Water Supply and Sanitation. He was also the president of Youth Akali Dal, reflecting his party’s confidence in his leadership.

Adding a historical twist to his controversies, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in 2023 accused Majithia’s ancestors of hosting Colonel Reginald Dyer — the man responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre — for dinner shortly after the 1919 carnage. Mann claimed Dyer was served red wine, honoured with a siropa, and declared an “honorary Sikh” by the SGPC, allegedly under Majithia family’s influence. The sensational accusation reignited public debate on elite complicity during colonial rule. Majithia dismissed the remarks as defamatory political theatre, accusing Mann of evading real governance by “reviving dead ghosts”.

His political path has also been marked by friction within his own party. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when his sister Harsimrat Kaur Badal was campaigning in Bathinda, Majithia’s assertive presence reportedly irked then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The elder Badal questioned why Majithia needed to accompany Harsimrat during her nomination filing, hinting at growing unease over Majithia’s expanding influence. The tension was further fuelled by controversies Majithia courted during the campaign, including a backlash over altering a Sikh hymn to include BJP candidate Arun Jaitley’s name — a move that led to public outrage, an apology to the Akal Takht, and community service as penance.

More recently, Majithia found himself at odds with SAD leadership again during the 2025 crisis over the removal of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh by the SGPC. Initially, he maintained a studied neutrality as tensions brewed between Sukhbir Singh Badal and sections of the Sikh clergy. But when the SGPC, widely seen as aligned with Sukhbir, removed the Jathedar, Majithia broke ranks. In a joint statement with other senior leaders, he condemned the move, calling it a blow to Sikh sentiments and a threat to the dignity of the Akal Takht. The SAD’s working president accused him of “backstabbing” Sukhbir, a charge that was later partially retracted but not forgotten.