2 min readUpdated: Feb 28, 2026 08:47 AM ISTA Chandigarh court will hear Bikram Singh Majithia’s discharge plea in the 2021 protest case on March 5. (File Photo)Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia has filed a discharge application before a Chandigarh district court to get his name removed from the list of accused in a five-year-old criminal case. The matter has been scheduled for a hearing on March 5.Majithia, along with several other political leaders, is facing trial in a case registered on charges of violence, scuffle with police personnel and violation of government orders. The proceedings are currently pending before a local court in Chandigarh.In his application, Majithia’s counsel Rajesh Kumar stated that two co-accused in the same case, Mahesh Inder Grewal and Daljit Singh Cheema, were granted relief by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which quashed the FIR against them.Citing that order, the defence argued that similar relief should be extended to Majithia as well.The plea further contends that the FIR itself was not legally sustainable.According to the defence counsel,, “An FIR cannot be registered directly based on a magistrate’s complaint. Instead, the application argues that a private complaint should first have been filed under Section 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 (CrPC).”The counsel also submitted in the application that the police “have no evidence or witnesses against Majithia, and therefore no case is made out against him”.Story continues below this adThe case dates back to 2021, when several Akali Dal leaders were heading towards the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh to stage a protest against rising prices and the 1984 riots. To prevent the demonstrators from proceeding, the UT Police had set up barricades. It was alleged that protesters broke the barricades, obstructed police duty and violated official orders. During the incident, clashes reportedly took place between police personnel and protesters, and some officers were injured. Following the incident, the Sector 3 police station registered an FIR against Majithia and others.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd