High Court of Punjab and HaryanaCRM-M/15568/2022allowed

Gurpreet Singh v. State Of Punjab

2022-04-22Mr. Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu2 pages

CRM-M-15568 of 2022

IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT

CHANDIGARH CRM-M-15568 of 2022 Date of Decision: 22.04.2022 Gurpreet Singh ......Petitioner

Versus

State of Punjab .....Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HARINDER SINGH SIDHU

Present:

Mr. K.S. Sidhu, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. B.S. Sewak, Addl. AG. Punjab.

HARINDER SINGH SIDHU, J Prayer is for grant of regular bail in case FIR No.34 dated 9.3.2022 under Sections 384 388, 389, 506, 34 of the IPC registered at P.S. Nehianwala, District Bathinda.

FIR was lodged on the statement of Paramjeet Kaur who stated that her husband was habitual of consuming drugs. He was taking treatment from the Government Hospital for de-addiction and almost stopped consuming drugs. However, in the company of his old friends, he sometimes used to take drugs outside the house but without disclosing the same to his family. Harpreet Singh Gulu Brar used to protray him as press reporter and had formed a new page through Facebook. On 06.03.2022, Pargat Singh companion of her husband, called him telephonically to take/consume intoxicants. They contributed Rs.1,500/- and purchased intoxicant of Rs.800/- from Bhaliana and started taking the same at the drain.

Then aforesaid press reporter with the help of his man Pargat Singh called her husband under a well planned conspiracy to blackmail her husband and gave beatings to him with the help of 10-12 persons besides threatening to implicate him in a false case of drugs. They compelled the husband of the complainant to get his confession recorded on video that he was selling intoxicating material. They kept demanding money from her husband for not making the video viral. When her husband showed his helplessness, the video was made viral on 06.03.2022. On 07.03.2022, Harpreet Singh Gulu Brar who claimed himself to be a journalist and was MANOJ KUMAR 2022.04.

CRM-M-15568 of 2022 having friendship with higher police officers and incharge of CIA staff, called the husband of the complainant at Garg Dhaba, Goniana Road to arrange money. Thereafter, the matter was inquired and the present case was registered against the accused persons.

Learned counsel for the petitioner contends that the petitioner is not named in the FIR. The allegations are against Harpreet Singh Gulu Brar and Pargat Singh. The only material against the petitioner which has come out during investigation is that when the money was passed on to Harpreet Singh Gulu Brar, the petitioner happened to be present there. Harpreet Singh Gulu Brar has since been arrested and an amount of Rs.8,000/- has been recovered from him and that petitioner has been in custody since 09.03.2022.

Without commenting anything on the merits of the case and also bearing in mind the fact that the trial is not likely to be concluded in near future, in my opinion, no useful purpose will be served by detaining the petitioner behind bars any further. The petition, as such, is accepted. The petitioner Gurpreet Singh is ordered to be released on bail on his furnishing bail bonds/surety bonds to the satisfaction of learned trial Court/Chief Judicial Magistrate/Duty Magistrate concerned. This present petition stands accepted accordingly. April 22, 2022 (Harinder Singh Sidhu) manoj Judge Whether speaking/reasoned: Yes/No Whether Reportable: Yes/No MANOJ KUMAR 2022.04.22 19:12 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document