CRM-M-44595-2025 (O&M) 1 215 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CRM-M-44595-2025 (O&M) Date of decision: 22.08.2025 Jaswinder Singh ... Petitioner Versus State of Punjab ... Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE N.S. SHEKHAWAT Present: Mr. Gurnoor Singh Sethi, Advocate for the petitioner. Mr. I.P.S. Sabharwal, DAG, Punjab. **** N.S. SHEKHAWAT, J. (Oral) 1. The petitioner has filed the instant petition under Section 483 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 with a prayer to grant regular bail to him in case FIR No.16 dated 08.03.2025 registered under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1998 (Amended), Act 2018, at Police Station Vigilance Bureau, District Patiala. 2. FIR in the present case was registered on the basis of the statement made by Justin Singh and the same has been reproduced below :- “To Chief Officer (SHO), Police Station Vigilance Bureau, Patiala Range Anti-Corruption Action Line Complaint No. 152916 dated 15/11/2024, Sangrur, against Jaswinder Singh, J.E. Upon verification, it was found that the complainant, Mr. Justin Singh, son of Mr. Sukhjinder Singh, resident of village SATYAWAN 2025.08.25 13:53 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document CRM-M-44595-2025 (O&M) 2 Hamjheri, Tehsil Patran, District Patiala, has approximately 18 acres of agricultural land in the names of his father and mother at village Bhootgarh. Some portion of this land was in the name of the complainant's grandmother, Mrs. Gurcharan Kaur, and the two electricity motor connections installed in the fields were also in the name of the grandmother, Mrs. Gurcharan Kaur. The complainant's grandmother, Mrs. Gurcharan Kaur, passed away in the year 2012. The land that was in her name was transferred to the complainant's father on the basis of inheritance, but the electricity motor connections remained in the name of the grandmother. In this regard, the complainant prepared files to transfer the electric motor connections into the name of his father, Mr. Sukhjinder Singh, and submitted them to the SDO, PSPCL on 17/10/2024 at the PSPCL office Patran. After checking the file, the officials told the complainant that after getting a report from J.E. Jaswinder Singh, who sits at Grid Raidharana, get the files reported from him and then complainant talked about the files with Jaswinder Singh on his mobile number 9646119620. When the complainant contacted him on his mobile, he was told to go to Grid Raidharana and meet Darshan Singh, J.E., who will write the report. After that, go to the motorcycle mechanic's shop in nearby village Alampur where he (Jaswinder Singh) will sign. Accordingly, the complainant along with his friend Yuvraj Singh, son of Karamjit Singh, resident of Khang, Tehsil Patran, District Patiala (Mobile No. 82830-61671), went to the Electricity Grid at Raidharana and met Darshan Singh, J.E. There, he wrote his report with reference to the complainant. Thereafter, the complainant along with his friend went to the motorcycle mechanic's shop at village Alampur and met Jaswinder Singh, J.E. There, Jaswinder Singh signed the complainant's electric motor connection file. Then Jaswinder SATYAWAN 2025.08.25 13:53 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document CRM-M-44595-2025 (O&M) 3 ₹ Singh, J.E., demanded a bribe of 1000/- from the complainant ₹ for processing the file. Under pressure, the complainant gave 1000/- to Jaswinder Singh, J.E. The complainant's friend Yuvraj Singh had made an audio recording on his mobile phone of the conversation about the bribe. During verification of the complaint, the complainant's friend Yuvraj Singh submitted a CD of the recording. After hearing the recording and reading the transcript, it was confirmed that suspect J.E. Jaswinder Singh took the complainant's electric motor file and ₹ demanded 1000/- as a bribe for signing it. In this regard, Mr. Satpal Sharma, DSP, Police Vigilance Bureau, Unit Sangrur, recommended registration of a case against Jaswinder Singh, J.E., PSPCL, Dirba, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended by the 2018 Act. This report was forwarded to the Senior Captain, Police Vigilance Bureau, Patiala Range, Patiala, with a recommendation for registration of FIR. The Senior Captain, Police Vigilance Bureau, Patiala Range, Patiala, ordered registration of the case and assigned investigation to DSP, Police Vigilance Bureau, Unit Sangrur, through letter No. 2188/WAB/Complaint-2 dated 07/03/2025. This report was marked by DSP, Police Vigilance Bureau, Unit Sangrur, to Inspector. Based on the complaint report, offences under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) have been committed by Jaswinder Singh, J.E., PSPCL, Dirba. Hence, the case against accused Jaswinder Singh, J.E., PSPCL, Dirba, is forwarded to you through Head Constable Gurdeep Singh, No. 1208/Sangrur. The copy of the FIR is to be registered and sent to the undersigned. Special reports are to be dispatched. 1 engaged am in investigation Today, at the Office of Vigilance Bureau, Unit Sangrur, at 01:30 PM. Inspector Harpreet Singh, SATYAWAN 2025.08.25 13:53 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document CRM-M-44595-2025 (O&M) 4 Vigilance Bureau, Unit Sangrur Dated: 08-03-2025.” 3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the complaint in the present case was lodged by the complainant after about one month of the alleged demand and even in the FIR, no explanation is forthcoming. Rather the delay in the registration of the FIR in the present case casts cloud/suspicion in the entire prosecution case. Learned counsel further submits that in the present case, there was no evidence to show that there was demand of bribe and there was acceptance by the present petitioner and the basic ingredients of the offence under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, were not satisfied in the present case. The petitioner was arrested in the present case on 16.06.2025 and after completion of investigation, challan has already been presented before the competent Court of law. Learned counsel further contends that out of 12 cited witnesses, no prosecution witness has been examined so far and the conclusion of the trial will take long time. 4. On the other hand, learned State counsel has vehemently opposed the submissions made by learned counsel for the petitioner on the ground that the petitioner is involved in a serious crime and sufficient evidence has been collected against the present petitioner proving the complicity of the petitioner in the crime, thus, the petition deserves to be dismissed on merits. 5. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties and perused the record. 6. In the present case, the petitioner is stated to be in custody for SATYAWAN 2025.08.25 13:53 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document CRM-M-44595-2025 (O&M) 5 the last more than two months and challan has been presented against him before the Court of law. Further, the prosecution has not been able to examine even a single witness so far and the trial would take considerable time to conclude. 7. Without commenting on the merits of the case, the present petition is allowed and the petitioner is ordered to be released on bail subject to his furnishing bail bonds/surety bonds to the satisfaction of the trial Court/Duty Magistrate/Chief Judicial Magistrate, concerned, subject to the following conditions:- (i) The petitioner shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case, so as to dissuade him to disclose such facts to the Court or to any other authority. (ii) The petitioner shall remain present before the Court on the dates fixed for hearing of the case. (iii) The petitioner shall not absent himself from the Court proceedings except on the prior permission of the Court concerned. (iv) The petitioner shall surrender his passport, if any, (if already not surrendered), and in case he is not holder of the same, he shall swear an affidavit to that effect. (v) The petitioner shall also file his affidavit before the concerned Court, mentioning his ordinary place of residence and number of mobile phone, which shall be used by him during the pendency of the trial. In case of change of place of residence/mobile number, he shall share the details with the concerned Court/learned Trial Court. (vi) In case, the petitioner involves in any other criminal SATYAWAN 2025.08.25 13:53 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document CRM-M-44595-2025 (O&M) 6 activity, during the pendency of the trial, it shall be viewed seriously and the prosecution shall be at liberty to move an appropriate application for cancellation of bail granted to the present petitioner. (vii) The concerned Court may insist on two heavy local sureties and may also impose any other condition, in accordance with law, while accepting the bails bonds and surety bonds of the petitioner. 22.08.2025 (N.S. SHEKHAWAT) Satyawan JUDGE Whether speaking/reasoned: Yes/No Whether Reportable: Yes/No SATYAWAN 2025.08.25 13:53 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document