New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia’s plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order which denied him bail in a disproportionate assets case.

A bench of justices Vikram Nath and N V Anjaria issued notice on Majithia’s plea and posted it for hearing on January 19. It, however, refused the prayer for interim bail.

In its December 4 order, the high court dismissed Majithia’s bail plea, observing that the possibility of him influencing the investigation could not be ruled out.

While directing the Punjab Vigilance Bureau to complete its probe within three months, the high court had said Majithia can thereafter seek his release on bail.

During the hearing before the apex court, senior advocate S Muralidhar, appearing for Majithia, said the petitioner was earlier granted bail in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

He said the apex court had dismissed the Punjab government’s plea challenging the bail granted to him.

“In that NDPS case, they had filed a supplementary affidavit before this court saying they have unearthed evidence about money being received in the NDPS case. That same financial transaction is now used to foist a new case under the PC (Prevention of Corruption) Act,” Muralidhar said.

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Majithia on June 25 in the disproportionate assets case that allegedly involved accumulation of Rs 540 crore of wealth.