- Supreme Court granted bail to Bikram Singh Majithia in disproportionate assets case
- The decision is a political setback for Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party
- Punjab Finance Minister said bail offers temporary relief as case is still under trial
The Supreme Court granting bail to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia in the disproportionate assets (DA) case marks a clear political setback for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab and a morale-boosting moment for the Akali Dal.
The AAP came to power in 2022 promising to crack down on the alleged drugs-politics nexus, repeatedly projecting Majithia as a symbol of everything it sought to dismantle. His continued incarceration was showcased as evidence that the "old political class" was finally being held accountable. The Supreme Court's bail order now dents that carefully built narrative.
Reacting to the Supreme Court's decision, Punjab's Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that while the Akali Dal is portraying the bail as a major victory, it merely provides temporary legal relief and does not amount to a clean chit.
"Getting bail does not mean that Majithia has been acquitted. The case is still under trial, and the investigating agencies have strong evidence," he told reporters.
Majithia's legal troubles span multiple regimes. The NDPS case against him was registered during the Congress government under Charanjit Singh Channi, positioning him at the centre of Punjab's drug crisis. He secured bail in that case, weakening Congress's claims.
After the AAP assumed office, Majithia was booked in the DA case, widely seen as an attempt to keep the pressure alive through a fresh legal route. Once again, the higher judiciary has stepped in to grant him relief.
Politically, the message is damaging for AAP. While bail does not amount to acquittal, it strengthens the opposition's charge that the Mann government has pursued Majithia more as a political target than a legally airtight case. Majithia has consistently termed the proceedings "political vendetta", and the Supreme Court's intervention lends weight to that argument in the court of public opinion.
For the Akali Dal, struggling to regain lost political ground, the development offers a rallying point. Majithia's release allows the party to claim victimhood across regimes; Congress and AAP alike; and project resilience in the face of sustained political pressure.
Senior Akali Dal leader Daljit Cheema said the AAP government had proceeded against Majithia in a desperate bid to silence him as he had consistently condemned the wrong policies of the government, besides speaking up for the rights of the people.
"In this process, Majithia's human rights were also violated," he said. "Punjabis will give a befitting answer to the AAP government for misusing the police and investigating agencies to frame its opponents in politically motivated cases."
In Punjab's hyper-politicised environment, perception often matters as much as verdicts. The Supreme Court's bail order may not end the case, but it clearly undercuts AAP's moral posturing while handing the Akali Dal a timely political opening.
