Chandigarh: Suspended DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court against two cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with alleged bribery and disproportionate assets. The CBI had arrested Bhullar and his aide Kirshanu Sharda on October 16 for allegedly demanding illegal payments from a scrap dealer.
According to the first FIR, complainant Naresh Batta of Mandi Gobindgarh accused Bhullar of seeking an ₹8 lakh bribe through Kirshanu Sharda. The payment was allegedly meant to settle a 2023 FIR registered at Sirhind police station and prevent further action against him. The FIR was registered under Sections 61(2) BNS and Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI later filed a second FIR on October 29, claiming Bhullar possessed assets far beyond his known sources of income. The agency said the case was based on documents, jewellery, and cash recovered during raids at his residence.
In his petition, Bhullar questioned the CBI’s jurisdiction, arguing that the alleged bribery incident occurred in Punjab, and therefore the agency required prior approval from the state government under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946. He stated that no such consent was taken, making the arrest and FIR invalid. He also said the CBI, Chandigarh, could not register the case since none of the alleged offences took place in the city.
On the recovery in Chandigarh, Bhullar claimed it was not made from his personal possession and thus could not be used to justify CBI action. He further pointed out that Punjab has already withdrawn general consent to the CBI.
Bhullar also opposed the second FIR, saying two cases cannot be filed for the same offence. He argued that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) had already registered a similar case before the CBI filed theirs, and therefore the CBI’s FIR should be quashed. Both agencies lodged FIRs within 30 minutes of each other on October 29, with VB’s entry recorded at 10:35 am and the CBI filing its case at 12:30 pm.
