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Journalism of Courage
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has finally okayed the Cabinet decision to accord prosecution sanction against former minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a disproportionate assets case—nearly two months after the Punjab government forwarded the file.
Government sources said that the governor had sent the file back to the state government. “The delay was making the government believe that the sanction would not be given. After all, it was two months. However, the Governor has now given his nod. The Vigilance will now put up a challah against Majithia in the court and get the charges framed,” a government official said.
On September 8, the Punjab Cabinet had given its nod to the prosecution sanction against Majithia on the advice of the Advocate General, Punjab. He had stated that the matter with regard to granting of prosecution sanction of the former minister first needs to be discussed in the Council of Ministers, and thereafter, would have to be sent to the governor for passing of a formal order.
Sources said that the governor’s prosecution sanction was required since Majithia was a former minister.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested Majithia on June 25 in the disproportionate assets case allegedly involving laundering of Rs 540 crore of “drug money”. The case against Majithia was registered after an ongoing investigation by a Punjab Police special investigation team into a 2021 drug case.
In 2021, Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The action was taken on the basis of a 2018 report of the anti-drug special task force. Majithia spent more than five months in Patiala Jail and walked out of prison in August 2022 after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail.
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