CBI Court Denies Bail to Suspended Punjab DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar in Bribery Case

The Special CBI Court in Chandigarh dismissed the bail plea of suspended Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar on Friday. He was arrested in an alleged bribery case.

During the hearing, Bhullar’s lawyer, advocate SPS Bhullar, argued that the challan in the case had already been filed, so no further investigation was needed. He noted that Bhullar had been in custody for 77 days. The public prosecutor opposed the bail application. After reviewing both sides’ arguments, the court rejected the request.

On December 4, 2025, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had previously declined to stay proceedings in two CBI cases against Bhullar. This followed a lengthy discussion about the urgency and scope of interim relief.

The bench, led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry, was hearing Bhullar’s challenge to the CBI’s jurisdiction in two FIRs related to disproportionate assets. They noted that arguments on the main issue had already started, and granting interim relief would effectively provide final relief at this stage.

Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer, was arrested by the CBI in a bribery case. The agency stated that he was caught demanding and accepting illegal gratification from a businessman through an associate to settle an FIR against the complainant.

The CBI’s statement indicated that recoveries from Bhullar’s residence in Chandigarh included approximately Rs 7.5 crore in cash, 2.5 kg of gold jewellery, 26 luxury watches, documents for over 50 properties held by family members and suspected benami entities, and four firearms with 100 live cartridges.

However, the defense raised serious objections to the arrest, claiming it was illegal. They argued that the FIR’s registration violated Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, which requires prior consent for the CBI to exercise jurisdiction.

The arrest memo stated that Bhullar was arrested at the CBI office in Sector 30, Chandigarh, at 8 pm on October 16, 2024. The defense contended that he was actually apprehended from his office in Mohali around 11:30 am that day, a fact acknowledged by the prosecution in its post-trap memo.

It was also argued that despite being in CBI custody since 11:30 am on October 16, Bhullar was presented before the court only after 2 pm on October 17, exceeding the mandatory 24-hour period and violating Articles 20 and 21 of the Constitution of India.