Harpreet Singh v. State Of Punjab
IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA
AT CHANDIGARH Date of decision: July 22nd, 2025 Harpreet Singh .....Petitioner
Versus
State of Punjab .....Respondent
CORAM:
HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MANJARI NEHRU KAUL
Present:
Mr. Vipin Mahajan, Advocate and Ms. Chandanpreet Kaur Ahluwalia, Advocate for the petitioner.
Mr. H.S. Deol, Senior Deputy Advocate General, Punjab. MANJARI NEHRU KAUL, J.
Petitioner is seeking the concession of regular bail in FIR No.8 dated 25.02.2025 under Section 7 of The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 61(2)(A) of the BNS, registered at Police Station Vigilance Bureau Range, Amritsar. 2.
Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner has been falsely implicated in the instant case. It is contended that the petitioner was not named in the FIR (Annexure P-1), and has been roped in at a belated stage solely on the basis of the disclosure statement made by a co-accused. It is further submitted that the petitioner was arrested on 26.05.2025, nearly three months after the registration of the FIR, and that there is no independent material on record linking the petitioner to the commission of the alleged offence. 3.
Learned counsel submits that the petitioner stands on the same footing as co-accused Ravinderpal Singh, from whom the alleged
-2recovery was effected and who has already been granted the concession of regular bail by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Gurdaspur, vide order dated 03.04.2025. It is contended that the allegations against the present petitioner are not graver than those levelled against the said co-accused.
4.
Per contra, learned State counsel while opposing the prayer and submissions made by the counsel opposite, on instructions, contends that the petitioner acted as a conduit between the co-accused and the complainant in facilitating the alleged transaction. However, learned State counsel does not dispute the fact that the co-accused Ravinderpal Singh, who is alleged to have demanded and accepted the bribe of 30,000/- for the purpose of providing a death certificate to the ₹ complainant, has already been granted bail.
5.
I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the relevant material on record.
6.
Before proceeding further, it would be apposite to reproduce the FIR, which is as under:
"Contents of First Information Report Statement of Sh.. Manjinder Singh son of Sh. Sangat Singh r/o Village Fulke, P.S. Rangar Nangal, Tehsil Batala, District Gurdaspur, aged about 38 years (Mobile No.9041141509). Stated that I am resident of above-mentioned address and doing work of agriculture. That my real uncle Sh.Ranjit Singh died because of electrocution in Village Misarpura, Tehsil Batala, District Gurdaspur in the month of June 1991. At that time, my uncle was bachelor and he had no issue. We could not obtain certificate about his death at that time. That for partition of land, we needed death certificate of my uncle Ranjit Singh son of Puran Singh s/o Banta Singh. Therefore, on 27.02.2024, I applied for the same through online mode.
-3Reference ID Number of which is 58284945. After this, for enquiring about the process regarding preparation of certificate, I went to the office of Civil Surgeon, Gurdaspur, where Ravinderpal Singh, Ward Attendant Office of Civil Surgeon, Gurdaspur met me. He informed me that I cannot get death certificate in this way. Therefore, he demanded bribe from us. However, in this connection despite expiry of long time, we did not pay bribe to Ravinderpal Singh. In this regard, a few days ago, Ravinderpal Singh called me on phone and stated that the dealing hand had asked him to tell me that neither the certificate had been prepared so far nor it could be prepared and for this you would have to give him bribe of Rs.40,000 then he would get the certificate prepared through the dealing hand.
He asked me to apply for the certificate as and when he would ask me to do so. Above named Ravinderpal Singh asked me to meet him on 21.02.2025 in Gurdaspur near office of Civil Surgeon. Where I and my brother Gurvinder Singh met him. At this time, he clearly demanded bribe of Rs.40,000/-, if we really want to get death certificate. On our repeated requests, he agreed to accept Rs.30,000/- as bribe amount. He asked us to give him bribe money on 25.02.2025 and that he would inform about the place of meeting later, on phone. We have recorded the conversation held with him. I am producing the same before you in a pen-drive. That I do not want to get my work done on payment of bribe. Therefore, I have come to your office with the first instalment of bribe money of Rs.
30,000/-, to be paid to Ravinderpal Singh, O/o Civil Surgeon, Gurdaspur, and I am producing the same before you. You are requested to take necessary legal action against Ravinderpal Singh, Ward Attendant, Office of Civil Surgeon, Gurdaspur."
7.
It is not in dispute that the petitioner was not named in the FIR and has been implicated subsequently on the strength of the
-4disclosure statement of a co-accused. The petitioner is alleged to have merely acted as an intermediary between the principal accused and the complainant. It is also not denied the main accused Ravinderpal Singh, who is alleged to have demanded and accepted the bribe in lieu of providing the death certificate to the complainant, has already been granted the concession of bail.
8.
Having regard to the nature of allegations, the role attributed to the petitioner vis-a-vis the co-accused, the fact that he was not named in the FIR, and the parity claimed with the co-accused already enlarged on bail, this Court deems it fit to extend the concession of bail to the petitioner.
9.
Accordingly, the instant petition is allowed and the petitioner be admitted to bail subject to his furnishing bail/surety bonds to the satisfaction of the trial Court/Duty Magistrate concerned. However, it is made clear that anything observed hereinabove shall not be construed to be an expression of opinion on the merits of the case. July 22nd, 2025 (MANJARI NEHRU KAUL) Puneet JUDGE Whether speaking/reasoned :
Yes Whether reportable :
No