Face2News/Chandigarh
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu on Wednesday said the Punjab Vigilance Bureau’s filing of a 40,000-page chargesheet in the case against Akali Dal (Badal) leader Bikram Singh Majithia had brought a ₹736.96 crore money trail, shell companies and liquor businesses under scrutiny. He said the investigation had traced unaccounted assets and funds, with Majithia’s assets showing an increase of 1,495% during the Akali-BJP regime from 2007 to 2017, the same period when Punjab’s youth were devastated by the spread of ‘chitta’.
Recalling that former Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Niranjan Singh was transferred overnight after Bikram Singh Majithia’s name emerged in the drug investigation, Baltej Pannu said those responsible for pushing Punjab’s youth into the drug menace must be held accountable. He asserted that the Bhagwant Mann government would not retreat from its commitment to make Punjab drug-free and corruption-free, and that the legal proceedings would continue in accordance with the law.
AAP Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu said the investigation has traced financial irregularities and a money trail amounting to ₹736.96 crore. He challenged those describing the action as political vendetta to examine the chargesheet and statements of nearly 300 witnesses. “The 40,000-page chargesheet and the statements of nearly 300 witnesses contain the details of the investigation. Those calling this action political vendetta should read the chargesheet and examine the evidence for themselves,” he said.
The AAP Punjab Media In-charge said the case was registered under Sections 13(1)(e) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 120-B, in connection with FIR No. 22 dated June 25, 2025, registered at the Police Station, Vigilance Bureau, Mohali. He said the investigation concerned the accumulation of disproportionate assets between March 2, 2007, and March 31, 2017, during the Akali-BJP government. “The Vigilance Bureau has traced ₹736.96 crore in unaccounted assets and funds, while the total financial irregularities and money trail identified during the investigation amount to ₹736.96 crore. These figures reflect the scale of the financial transactions examined by the investigating agency,” said Baltej Pannu.
Baltej Pannu said the investigation has recorded a substantial increase in assets during the period under scrutiny. According to the figures cited by him, the preliminary investigation found a 1,200.13% increase in assets worth ₹40.78 crore. Starting from an initial disproportionate-assets figure of ₹10.3 crore, the value of unaccounted assets subsequently rose to ₹50.81 crore and eventually reached ₹719.72 crore, representing an increase of 1,495.37%. “The figures emerging from the investigation raise serious questions about the accumulation of wealth during the Akali-BJP regime. The Vigilance Bureau has placed its findings before the court, and the evidence must now be examined through the judicial process,” said Baltej Pannu.
Drawing a comparison between the financial findings and Punjab’s drug crisis, Baltej Pannu said the period from 2007 to 2017 was also marked by the spread of chitta, or heroin, across the state. “An ordinary Punjabi works day and night to provide for the family and meet basic expenses. During the same period, when Punjab’s youth were falling prey to drugs and parents were losing their children, the investigation traced an enormous accumulation of assets linked to Bikram Singh Majithia. The people of Punjab deserve answers about how this wealth was accumulated,” he said.
Baltej Pannu said the chargesheet detailed a network of companies through which financial transactions were allegedly routed, transferred and manipulated. He alleged that business entities linked to Bikram Singh Majithia and his associates were used to move funds through multiple channels.
The companies and entities named by Baltej Pannu included Saraya Industries Private Limited, Peregrine Saraya Organic Private Limited, S.D. Beverages Private Limited, A to Z Transport, A.D. Enterprises belonging to Amardeep Singh Hundal, United Wines linked to Harpreet Singh Gulati, Akash Enterprises, UW Enterprises Private Limited, AD Enterprises Private Limited, Akash Spirits Private Limited and Nawanshahr Power Private Limited (NPPL).
“These companies and their financial transactions form an important part of the money trail examined by the Vigilance Bureau. The investigation has brought forward details of cash deposits, transfers involving foreign companies, unexplained funds and transactions involving business entities linked to the case,” said Baltej Pannu.
Giving details of the financial findings, Baltej Pannu said the forensic investigation had identified transactions and financial irregularities totalling ₹736.96 crore. The figures cited by him included:
* ₹170.39 crore deposited in cash into the bank accounts of Saraya Industries Private Limited during 2007-08 and 2008-09.
* ₹176.56 crore in benefits received by Saraya Industries Private Limited from foreign companies.
* ₹127.90 crore in surplus funds received during 2012-13 and 2013-14.
* ₹16.68 crore in benefits received from the Nawanshahr Power Private Limited syndicate group.
* ₹194.62 crore in unexplained growth in Saraya Industries Private Limited.
* ₹50.81 crore in unaccounted funds.
Baltej Pannu said these findings formed part of the financial trail investigated by the Vigilance Bureau and would be subject to scrutiny in the judicial proceedings. “The investigation has brought together transactions involving cash deposits, foreign companies, surplus funds and unexplained financial growth. These findings form part of a detailed chargesheet that must be examined on its merits,” he said.
Baltej Pannu said the investigation has continued to develop following the arrest of co-accused Harpreet Singh Gulati. A supplementary chargesheet was filed on January 27, 2026, while an earlier supplementary chargesheet had been filed on November 1, 2025.
He added that the name of Gajpat Singh Grewal, Bikram Singh Majithia’s close relative by marriage, had emerged during the investigation and that Gajpat Singh Grewal had been named under Section 120-B in connection with the alleged criminal conspiracy. “The investigation has proceeded through multiple stages, with supplementary chargesheets filed as further details emerged. The Vigilance Bureau has placed its findings before the court, and the proceedings will establish the legal responsibility of those concerned,” said Baltej Pannu.
Revisiting the earlier drug investigation, Baltej Pannu said that after Jagdish Bhola named Bikram Singh Majithia, then Enforcement Directorate officer Niranjan Singh attempted to intensify the investigation but was transferred overnight, following which the probe was suppressed.
Baltej Pannu also referred to Bikram Singh Majithia’s associates Satpreet Singh alias ‘Satta’ and Parminder Singh alias ‘Pindi’, noting that they are now hiding in Canada. “The Bhagwant Mann government is pressing the Central Government to pursue their return to India under the extradition treaty so that the wider international drug network could be investigated,” he added.
The AAP Punjab Media In-charge asserted, “The people of Punjab want the entire drug network exposed, including the role of those who operated across borders. The government must pursue every available legal avenue to ensure that those sought by investigators can be brought back to India and the investigation can proceed.”
Concluding his remarks, Baltej Pannu pointed out that the growing political proximity between the BJP and the Akali Dal raised concerns about Punjab’s fight against drugs. He referred to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s stated deadline of December 31, 2029, for eliminating drugs and statements by Harsimrat Kaur Badal concerning Delhi, pointing out that these developments pointed towards an attempt to push Punjab back into a period of drug-related devastation.
“The people of Punjab have seen the consequences of the drug crisis and the damage it has inflicted on families across the state. The Bhagwant Mann government remains committed to fighting drugs and corruption, and no political pressure will weaken that commitment,” said Baltej Pannu.
Baltej Pannu said the Vigilance Bureau had completed its responsibility by placing the chargesheet before the court and that the case would now proceed through the judicial process. “The commitment made by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to make Punjab free from drugs and corruption remains firm. The government will not retreat from this fight. The court will examine the evidence and decide the case in accordance with the law,” he said.
Punjab
Trending
