Gurpreet Singh v. State Of Punjab

CRM-M No.20869 of 2026 -1IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH ***** CRM-M No.20869 of 2026 Date of decision : 11.5.2026 Date of uploading : 11.5.2026 Gurpreet Singh .............Petitioner

Versus

State of Punjab .......Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SUMEET GOEL Present: Ms. Tanvi Jain, Advocate, for the petitioner (through VC) Mr. Hemant Aggarwal, DAG, Punjab --- SUMEET GOEL, J. (ORAL) 1.

Present petition has been filed under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short 'BNSS') for grant of regular bail to the petitioner in case FIR No.36 dated 1.3.2024 under Sections 379-B, 411 and 34 of the IPC, registered at Police Station GRP, Ludhiana.

2.

The case set up in the FIR in question (as set out in the present petition by the petitioner) is as follows:- 'Statement of Ranjit Singh S/o Shi Balwinder Singh resident of village Satoora, Police Station Pehewa, District Kurukshetra, age 26 years, M.No 82956-75669.

Stated that I am Ranjit Singh, a resident of the above address. I have passed 12th class. I am domestic worker. about 01 month earlier, I have received a call on my mobile number 87083-25906 from unknown person

CRM-M No.20869 of 2026 -2from mobile No. 88377-18725 and we became friends while talking to each other. He told me his name Gurpreet Singh, son of Baldev Singh, village Bahadurpur Bahia, district Hoshiarpur and on 28-02-2024 I came to Ludhiana to meet him. near the Ludhiana bus stand, he came on his motorcycle with another person, age about 24-25 years, who had a light mustache and was wearing a cap. He made me sit in the middle on his motorcycle and told me that on the way thet "I have to get the key of the house from friend's house and then we will eat food." At around 21:00, we rode on the motorcycle and reached the railway under bridge near village Jasia.

Gagandeep Singh stopped the motorcycle and another unknown person aged 23-24 years who was wearing a hat and covering his head was standing near the bushes and I became suspicious of him and started running away then Gagandeep grabbed me from behind and the motorcyclist took off the gold earrings I was wearing in my ears and the person wearing the hat pulled off the gold chain around my neck and took off the silver bracelet and silver ring which I was wearing in my right hand and took off the iPhone watch from my left arm and then took out the mobile IPHONE 11 color black with the mobile number 90341-25906 from my right pocket and I took out the mobile IPHONE 14 PRO MAX color black with the SIM number 87083-25906 from my left pocket to call the police then Gurpreet Singh snatched my mobile phone and ran away and They took away my brown kit containing my clothes, my Aadhar card, PAN card, driving license, 02 DEBIT CARDS, 01 CREDIT CARD, and my motorcycle key.

The total value of my belongings is Rs. 3,50,000. I have been finding them till now. Today I was coming to the GRP police station in Ludhiana to lodge complaint at Railway platform number 01. You have written my statement which I have read and listened to. It is correct. Take action. SD/- Ranjit Singh.'

3.

Learned counsel for the petitioner has urged that the petitioner is in custody since 18.8.2025. Learned counsel has further urged that the petitioner and the FIR-complainant had developed friendly terms on mobile telephone but later on the same turned sour and on this account the petitioner has been falsely implicated into the FIR in question. Learned counsel has further argued that the petitioner is in custody qua the FIR

CRM-M No.20869 of 2026 -3since August 2025 and culmination of trial will take long. Thus, regular bail is prayed for.

4.

Learned State counsel has opposed the present petition by arguing that the allegations raised are serious in nature and thus the petitioner does not deserve the concession of the regular bail. Learned State counsel seeks to place on record custody certificate dated 11.5.2026 in Court, which is taken on record.

5.

I have heard counsel for the parties and have gone through the available records of the case.

6.

The petitioner was arrested on 18.8.2025 wherein after investigation was carried out; challan was prepared on 29.9.2025 and subsequently filed. Total 20 prosecution witnesses have been cited and it is conceded case of the parties that none has been examined till date. It is thus indubitable that culmination of trial will take its own time. The rival contentions raised at Bar give rise to debatable issues which shall be ratiocinated upon during the course of trial. This Court does not deem it appropriate to delve deep into these rival contentions, at this stage, lest it may prejudice the trial. Nothing tangible has been brought forward to indicate the likelihood of the petitioner absconding from the process of justice or interfering with the prosecution evidence. 6.1 As per custody certificate dated 11.5.2026 filed by learned State counsel, the petitioner has already suffered incarceration for a period of 8 months and 4 days. As per the said custody certificate, the petitioner is stated to be involved in 2 other FIR(s). Indubitably, the antecedents of a

CRM-M No.20869 of 2026 -4person are required to be accounted for while considering a regular bail petition preferred by him. However, this factum cannot be a ground sufficient by itself, to decline the concession of regular bail to the petitioner in the FIR in question when a case is made out for grant of regular bail qua the FIR in question by ratiocinating upon the facts/circumstances of the said FIR. Reliance in this regard can be placed upon the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Maulana Mohd. Amir Rashadi v. State of U.P. and another, 2012 (1) RCR (Criminal) 586; a Division Bench judgment of the Hon'ble Calcutta High Court in case of Sridhar Das v. State, 1998 (2) RCR (Criminal) 477 & judgments of this Court in CRM-M No.38822-2022 titled as Akhilesh Singh v. State of Haryana, decided on 29.11.2021, and Balraj v. State of Haryana, 1998 (3) RCR (Criminal) 191.

Suffice to say, further detention of the petitioner as an undertrial is not warranted in the facts and circumstances of the case. 7.

In view of above, the present petition is allowed. Petitioner is ordered to be released on regular bail on his furnishing bail/surety bonds to the satisfaction of the Ld. concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate. However, in addition to conditions that may be imposed by the concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate, the petitioner shall remain bound by the following conditions:- (i) The petitioner shall not mis-use the liberty granted. (ii) The petitioner shall not tamper with any evidence, oral or documentary, during the trial.

(iii) The petitioner shall not absent himself on any date before the trial.

(iv) The petitioner shall not commit any offence while on bail.

CRM-M No.20869 of 2026 -5- (v) The petitioner shall deposit his passport, if any, with the trial Court.

(vi) The petitioner shall give his cell-phone number to the Investigating Officer/SHO of concerned Police Station and shall not change his cell-phone number without prior permission of the trial Court/Illaqa Magistrate.

(vii) The petitioner shall not in any manner try to delay the trial. 8.

In case of breach of any of the aforesaid conditions and those which may be imposed by concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate as directed hereinabove or upon showing any other sufficient cause, the State/complainant shall be at liberty to move cancellation of bail of the petitioner.

9.

Ordered accordingly.

10.

Nothing said hereinabove shall be construed as an expression of opinion on the merits of the case.

(SUMEET GOEL) JUDGE 11.5.2026 Ashwanii Whether speaking/reasoned:

Yes/No Whether reportable:

Yes/No