New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday refused to grant bail to suspended Punjab Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar in a corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi, and Vipul M Pancholi observed that there was no merit in Bhullar’s plea challenging the denial of bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, the court allowed him the liberty to approach the High Court again if the trial does not commence within two months.
Bhullar had argued before the courts that the investigation in the case had been completed and a chargesheet was filed on January 3, making further custodial interrogation unnecessary. He also contended that he had already spent considerable time in custody and that the maximum punishment in the case was up to seven years, stating that prolonged pre-trial detention would be unjust.
The plea was filed against the February 16 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had upheld a lower court’s decision denying him bail in the corruption case registered on October 16 last year. The High Court had termed the allegations against the senior IPS officer as a “serious economic offence.”
The CBI opposed Bhullar’s bail plea, citing the gravity of the charges, his alleged role in the case, and the possibility of influencing witnesses or obstructing justice if released.
According to the agency, Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer posted as DIG, Ropar Range, was arrested along with an alleged middleman following a complaint by a scrap dealer in Mandi Gobindgarh.
