Gurjeet Singh v. State Of Punjab
IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH.
Sr. No.207 Case No. : CRM-M-22468-2025 Decided On : July 18, 2025 Gurjeet Singh ....
Petitioner vs.
State of Punjab ....
Respondent CORAM :
HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE SUKHVINDER KAUR.
* * * Present :
Mr. Arshpreet Khadial, Advocate for the petitioner.
Mr. P. S. Pandher, AAG, Punjab.
* * * SUKHVINDER KAUR , J.
:
Prayer in the present petition, filed under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 is for grant of regular bail to the petitioner, in case FIR No.0098 dated 09.06.2021, under Section 22(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (hereinafter referred to as - NDPS Act), registered at Police Station Kotwali Bathinda, District Bathinda.
Briefly, the case of the prosecution is that on 09.06.2021, during routine patrolling, petitioner and his two accomplices namely Jagseer Singh and Kulwant Singh were nabbed by the police and 600 strips of Lomotil tablets were found with them without any permit or license. Hence, the FIR in question was registered. During investigation, initially, the petitioner was found to be innocent and accordingly, he was discharged from custody but later, he was summoned under Section 319 Cr.P.C. as an additional
accused.
Learned counsel for the petitioner contended that earlier, the petitioner was held to be innocent and challan under Section 173 Cr.P.C. was not presented qua him. He further submitted that co-accused Jagseer Singh and Kulwant Singh have been granted bail by a Co-ordinate Bench of this Court vide orders dated 19.05.2022 and 01.06.2022 passed in CRM-M20636-2022 and CRM-M-23516-2022 respectively. In the circumstances of the present case, learned counsel has prayed that since trial of the case is likely to take time, the petitioner be granted concession of regular bail. Custody Certificate of the petitioner, dated 17.07.2025, has been filed today in the Court and the same is taken on record.
Per Contra, learned State counsel opposed the bail petition while contending that the recovery of intoxicating tablets from the petitioner and his co-accused fall under the ambit of commercial quantity and the persons, involved in supplying or carrying narcotics, do not deserve any leniency from the Court. So, the present petition deserves dismissal. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties and have also gone through the case file.
As per the record of the case, co-accused Jagseer Singh and Kulwant Singh, who were the main accused, have already been granted bail by a Co-ordinate Bench of this Court. The petitioner was summoned as an additional accused under Section 319 Cr.P.C. As per the Custody Certificate dated 17.07.2025, which has been placed on record today in the Court, the petitioner has already undergone custody of 07 months and 19 days. No other criminal case is registered against him. Conclusion of trial is likely to
take considerable time. So, no useful purpose would be served by further detaining the petitioner behind the bars.
Accordingly, the present petition is allowed and the petitioner is ordered to be admitted on regular bail, on furnishing adequate bail bonds and surety bonds, to the satisfaction of concerned learned Trial Judge/Chief Judicial Magistrate/Duty Magistrate.
However, nothing observed herein above shall be construed to be an expression of opinion on the merits of the case. The observations recorded above are only for the purpose of deciding the present bail petition. July 18, 2025 (SUKHVINDER KAUR) monika JUDGE Whether speaking/reasoned ?
Yes/No.
Whether reportable ?
Yes/No.