Patiala: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia failed to appear before the Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) at the Patiala Police Lines on Monday for questioning in a 2021 drug case.
The SIT, headed by SSP Varun Sharma, had summoned Majithia last week, directing him to join the probe on October 5.
SAD chief spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler, who reached the Police Lines, accused the SIT of violating Supreme Court orders under pressure from the Punjab government. Kler said that on March 4 last year, the Supreme Court had directed the state government to wrap up the investigation by March 17 or 18. Following that order, Majithia had appeared before the then DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar-led SIT and was questioned for several hours over two consecutive days regarding financial transactions.
“Even five years after registering the FIR, the SIT has failed to complete the probe. Issuing fresh summons violates Supreme Court directions to conclude the investigation by March 2025,” Kler said, calling the action politically motivated.
₹6,000-crore racket
The roots of the case trace back to the high-profile 2013 synthetic drug scandal involving Jagdish Singh, alias Bhola. Bhola was once an international wrestler who won a silver medal at the 1991 Asian Wrestling Championships and was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1997. His sporting success earned him entry into the Punjab Police, where he rose to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
Bhola’s downfall began in 2008 when he was linked to drug peddling in Mumbai, leading to his suspension and the revocation of his Arjuna Award. He was officially dismissed from service in 2012 following further contraband seizures. Post-dismissal, Bhola emerged as the alleged kingpin of an international racket involving precursor chemicals, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and cross-border smuggling from Pakistan. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) eventually estimated the trade’s value at ₹6,000 crore.
When police arrested Bhola in November 2013, his disclosures during interrogation named politicians, including Bikram Singh Majithia, alleging political patronage and financial tie-ups within the drug network.
Case against Majithia
Based on a 2018 report by the anti-drug Special Task Force (STF) compiled from those earlier investigations, the Punjab Police registered FIR No. 2 against Majithia on December 20, 2021, at the State Crime Branch in Mohali under Sections 25, 27-A, and 29 of the NDPS Act.
The 49-page FIR alleged that Majithia maintained ties to international drug smugglers, facilitated trafficking, financed distribution, and engaged in a criminal conspiracy. Majithia, who has denied all allegations, was arrested in February 2022 and spent over five months in jail before the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail in August 2022.
The SIT recently expanded its focus to examine domestic and international financial transactions linked to Majithia and his family. In March 2025, SSP Varun Sharma noted that investigators uncovered “suspicious financial transactions,” including large cash deposits and connections to foreign entities.
The latest summons also ordered Bhola to appear on October 5, sparking speculation that the SIT intended to confront both men face-to-face, though officials declined to confirm plans for a joint interrogation.
While Majithia and SAD continue to denounce the ongoing summons and repeated reconstitutions as a political vendetta, police maintain that the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Five SITs in five years
The probe has passed through five special investigation teams (SITs) since 2021:
1st SIT: Headed by AIG Balraj Singh.
2nd SIT: Formed under AAP in 2022, led by AIG Rahul S under IG Gursharan Singh Sandhu.
3rd SIT: Reconstituted in May 2023 under IG Mukhwinder Singh Chhina.
4th SIT: Formed in January 2024 under DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar following Chhina’s retirement.
5th SIT: Reconstituted in March 2025 with SSP Varun Sharma as head, alongside SSP Abhimanyu Rana and SP Gurbans Singh Bains.