A Special CBI Court in Chandigarh has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to respond to a regular bail application filed by suspended Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar. The court will hear the matter on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.
Court Issues Notice, Defence Challenges CBI Jurisdiction
Additional District and Sessions Judge Bhawna Jain, who is the Special CBI Judge in Chandigarh, issued the notice on Tuesday. The notice formally requires the CBI to present its arguments against the bail plea. Representing DIG Bhullar, advocate S P S Bhullar launched a strong legal challenge, contending that the CBI's First Information Report (FIR) was registered contrary to established law.
The defence's core argument hinges on jurisdiction. They asserted that the CBI lacked the legal authority to register the case in the first place. Counsel claimed the FIR registration violated Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, which mandates that the CBI must obtain prior consent from a state government to exercise its powers within that state's territory.
Allegations of Procedural Flaws and Illegal Arrest
The defence presented a timeline of events to question the prosecution's case. They stated that the initial complaint was made on October 11, 2025, and was verified by CBI Sub-Inspector Sachin Singh. Notably, the SI did not recommend registering an FIR on that date, which the defence says indicates no offence was initially made out.
Further, they argued that on October 15, the complainant was given a voice recorder to capture an alleged bribe demand but returned it citing a technical fault. The defence also claimed that even on October 16, the day of the alleged trap, the prosecution failed to prove any demand for illegal gratification.
Serious allegations were raised regarding the arrest procedure. The defence contended that Bhullar's arrest was illegal. While the arrest memo states he was arrested at the CBI's Sector 30 office at 8 pm on October 16, the defence claims he was actually taken into custody from his Mohali office around 11:30 am the same day—a fact they say is acknowledged in the prosecution's own post-trap memo.
This discrepancy leads to another major charge: Bhullar was produced before the court only after 2 pm on October 17, which the defence argues clearly exceeds the mandatory 24-hour period for production, violating constitutional safeguards under Articles 20 and 21.
Defence Seeks Bail, Cites No Risk of Tampering
In their final push for bail, Bhullar's legal team submitted that keeping him in judicial custody serves no useful purpose. They emphasized that he is already under suspension from his official duties. Furthermore, they pointed out that all prosecution witnesses are government officials, including CBI personnel themselves.
This, they argued, leaves no possibility of the suspended DIG influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence, which are primary grounds for denying bail. The defence also alleged a "deep-rooted conspiracy," suggesting the CBI engineered jurisdiction by calling an alleged middleman from Punjab to Chandigarh for the transaction, despite a related FIR being pending in Fatehgarh Sahib district.
The court's decision on the bail application is now awaited after it hears the CBI's response on Wednesday.
