Bail to Majithia should not be seen as exoneration: Punjab AAP chief Arora

Chandigarh, Feb 3 (PTI) Punjab Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Tuesday said the bail granted to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia by the Supreme Court in a disproportionate assets case should not be misconstrued as exoneration in the matter.

The people of Punjab must understand that this relief is purely procedural and does not weaken the serious corruption charges against Majithia in any manner, said the state unit chief of the Aam Aadmi Party in a statement.

Arora claimed that bail has been granted on technical grounds related to the period of custody and completion of procedural formalities, and not on the merits of the case.

"Majithia has not been given a clean chit. The allegations of massive corruption remain intact and will now be tested thoroughly in court," he said, adding that those celebrating the bail are "deliberately misleading the public" to hide their past "sins".

"The Akali-BJP ecosystem wants to create a false narrative, but facts cannot be buried under political noise. The people of Punjab have already seen how drugs and corruption flourished under their rule," Arora further alleged.

He said that the Vigilance Bureau has conducted a comprehensive probe, uncovering assets worth hundreds of crores that are disproportionate to Majithia's known sources of income.

A detailed chargesheet running into tens of thousands of pages, backed by solid documentary evidence, has already been filed. "This is not a weak or half-baked case," Arora asserted.

The Punjab minister noted that strict bail conditions have been imposed on the accused to prevent any interference with the trial.

"Majithia cannot flee the country, cannot influence witnesses, and must face the court on every hearing. This itself shows the seriousness of the case." Majithia walked out of the New Nabha jail here on Tuesday, a day after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a disproportionate assets case. The Akali leader has seven months in jail.

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Majithia from his Amritsar residence on June 25 last year in the disproportionate assets case allegedly involving the laundering of Rs 540 crore of drug money. PTI CHS NSD NSD