Majithia alleges proclaimed offender Jatinder Singh appointed Chairman under ‘so called Badlav government’

Majithia alleges proclaimed offender Jatinder Singh appointed Chairman under ‘so called Badlav government’

Chandigarh 26 March ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Thursday alleged that proclaimed offender and alleged liquor smuggler Jatinder Singh has been appointed Chairman of a block samiti under the “so called Badlav government” in Punjab, raising serious questions over governance and law enforcement.

Addressing a press conference, Majithia claimed that under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, individuals declared proclaimed offenders by courts are being given official positions. He alleged that Jatinder Singh of village Bhangoi, who was declared a proclaimed offender by a court on December 18, 2025, has been appointed Chairman of the Block Samiti at Sri Hargobindpur.

Majithia said that despite being declared absconding, Jatinder Singh contested elections, while the Punjab Police allegedly misled the court by claiming that he could not be traced. He further alleged that under DGP Gaurav Yadav, the police machinery has been misleading even the judiciary.

Detailing the case, Majithia said Jatinder Singh had earlier been booked for smuggling cheap liquor from Chandigarh into Punjab, causing losses to the state exchequer. He was granted bail on January 31, 2022, but later failed to appear in court proceedings, following which he was declared a proclaimed offender. Despite this, he remained politically active and was subsequently appointed Chairman, he alleged. Calling it unprecedented, Majithia said that such appointments reflect the “new model of change,” where proclaimed offenders and alleged smugglers are rewarded with public posts.

He also raised concerns over alleged pressure on party workers, drawing parallels with the case of Dr Gagandeep Randhawa. He referred to a complaint filed by Jyotika, wife of AAP volunteer Varun Bhagat, before Police Commissioner Gurpreet Bhullar regarding her husband’s sudden disappearance and a suicide note. According to Majithia, the complaint includes details of alleged financial dealings and conversations involving AAP leaders. He also cited a video of Varun Bhagat, in which the latter claimed he had been associated with the party since 2012 and had expectations after it came to power in 2022.

Majithia alleged that Bhagat was introduced to certain party leaders, including Prabhbir Singh Brar, and was involved in confidential activities, including facilitating financial transactions. He claimed Bhagat and his associates invested money and helped generate large sums but were denied promised commissions. He further alleged that Bhagat was later tasked with arranging Chairmanship positions, each allegedly priced at around Rs 50 lakh. Despite facilitating payments, Bhagat was reportedly ignored and later subjected to harassment and threats.

Majithia also alleged that Bhagat named certain leaders, including MLA Sherry Kalsi, and claimed that money was demanded in exchange for political positions. He added that Bhagat received calls from individuals linked to Delhi based leaders, who allegedly exerted pressure for payments. The Akali leader said Bhagat was mentally harassed to such an extent that he was pushed towards taking extreme steps. He added that Bhagat had expressed apprehension for his life and had stated that certain AAP leaders would  Majithia further claimed that concerns about the functioning of the party had been raised earlier as well, and now even its own volunteers were coming forward with allegations. He said he would stand with the volunteer and his family to ensure justice and would continue to raise his voice against what he termed as corruption under the “so called Badlav government.”