A Mohali court on Saturday granted regular bail to liquor contractor Harpreet Singh Gulati, a close aide of former Punjab minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikramjit Singh Majithia, in a disproportionate assets (DA) case registered by the vigilance bureau.
Gulati, 53, a resident of Krishna Nagar near Adarsh Nagar in Jalandhar, was arrested by the vigilance bureau in connection with the case registered under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), read with Sections 13(1)(e) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, at the vigilance bureau police station. Gulati had moved a bail application under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The court noted that Gulati was not named in the original FIR and was initially summoned by the investigating agency as a witness. He appeared before the vigilance bureau, submitted financial records of the companies sought by investigators, and his statement under Section 180 of the BNSS was recorded on August 20, 2025. The court observed that Gulati was cited as a prosecution witness at serial number 107 in the main challan filed against Majithia on August 22.
Despite this, the vigilance bureau later nominated Gulati as an accused on November 29, and arrested him the same night at around 10.30 pm. He was subsequently sent to police remand and later to judicial custody. The challan against him has since been presented before the court.
During the hearing, Gulati’s counsel, advocate Charanjit Singh Bakshi, argued that the applicant had clean antecedents and had been falsely implicated. He contended that all documents relied upon by the prosecution were already in the possession of the investigating agency at the time of filing the challan against the main accused. He further argued that converting a prosecution witness into an accused without the permission of the trial court amounted to an impermissible re-investigation.
After hearing arguments from both sides and perusing the record, the court held that the investigation against Gulati stood completed and that all documentary evidence was already with the prosecution. The court observed that the allegations against Gulati would be tested during trial and that the conclusion of the trial would take considerable time. It ruled that no useful purpose would be served by further incarceration.
Without commenting on the merits of the case, the court allowed the bail application and granted regular bail to Gulati on furnishing personal bonds of ₹1 lakh with one surety of the like amount. The court directed him not to leave the country without prior permission, to deposit his passport, not to tamper with prosecution evidence, to appear on every date of hearing, and to continue cooperating with the trial.
“It is a travesty of justice that a prosecution witness has been made an accused and arrested in blatant violation of law. We will soon approach the hon’ble high court against the illegalities committed by the vigilance bureau,” said advocate Bakshi.
Gulati was arrested in connection with the ongoing DA case against Majithia, in which the vigilance bureau had alleged that funds were routed through companies linked to the former minister. The court clarified that observations made in the bail order would not affect the merits of the case during trial.
