Chandigarh, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police has issued fresh summons to senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia for questioning in connection with the drug case in which he is an accused.
Majithia has been directed to appear before the SIT on October 5, 2026.
Significantly, dismissed Punjab Police DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola, a key figure in the multi-crore drug racket busted in 2013, has also been summoned by the SIT to appear on the same day.
The simultaneous summoning of Majithia and Bhola has triggered speculation that investigators could question the two face to face. However, there was no official confirmation from the SIT that such a confrontation has been planned.
Bhola’s name has been closely associated with the drug racket investigations for more than a decade. He was arrested by Punjab Police in November 2013, while the Enforcement Directorate subsequently arrested him in 2014 in connection with its money-laundering probe arising out of the drug cases.
In July 2024, a special PMLA court in Mohali convicted Bhola and 16 others in a drug-linked money-laundering case. Bhola was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. He had also been convicted in drug cases.
After spending nearly 12 years in jail, Bhola was released from Bathinda Central Jail in 2025 after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail. Appeals arising from his convictions have remained pending before the High Court.
Reacting to the fresh summons, SAD Chief Spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kaler accused the Punjab Government of indulging in what he described as “summon politics” ahead of the Assembly elections.
Kaler claimed that the allegations against Majithia had already been examined during proceedings before the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court and alleged that nothing incriminating had emerged against the Akali leader.
He said the SAD would examine the fresh summons and decide its further course of action, including the legal question of whether the SIT could issue such summons after the matter had been heard by the Supreme Court.
Kaler, however, acknowledged that Majithia had appeared before the SIT for questioning even after proceedings in the Supreme Court.
The case against Majithia has its roots in investigations into Punjab’s synthetic drug racket. During investigations into the racket, statements of Bhola and other accused figured in the wider probe.
In December 2021, Punjab Police registered an FIR against Majithia under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Majithia has consistently denied the allegations against him.
The summoning of both Majithia and Bhola on October 5 has now brought renewed attention to the long-running drug case, particularly in view of speculation over whether the SIT intends to question them in each other’s presence.
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