CRM-M-44005-2026 ::1:: IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH (230) CRM-M-44005-2026 (O & M) Date of decision: 10.09.2026 Vishnu @ Sony .... Petitioner V/s State of Punjab ...Respondent CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE JASJIT SINGH BEDI Present: Mr. Harnoor Jassal, Advocate, with Mr. Rishab Bhandari, Advocate and Ms. Suvidha Jain, Advocate, for the petitioner. Mr. Roshandeep, AAG, Punjab. ***** JASJIT SINGH BEDI, J. (Oral) The prayer in the present petition under Section 483 BNSS (Section 439 Cr.P.C.) is for the grant of regular bail to the petitioner in case FIR No.03 dated 09.01.2023 under Sections 302, 307, 34 IPC and 25, 27 of the Arms Act initially and thereafter, challan was presented under Sections 302, 307, 353, 186, 216, 120B IPC and Sections 25/27, 54, 59 of the Arms Act and later on charges were framed under Sections 302, 307, 353, 186, 212, 411/34 IPC & 27(1), 25(1-B)(a) & 25(8) Arms Act registered at Police Station Phillaur, District Jalandhar. 2. The FIR in the present case came to be registered on the statement of Amandeep Kumar and reads as under:- SUKHPREET KAUR 2026.09.11 17:05 I agree to specified portions of this document CRM-M-44005-2026 ::2:: Statement of Sl Amandeep Kumar No. 54/JRT, Station House Officer, Police Station City Phagwara, District Kapurthala, age about 32 years, mobile number 98721-40972. It is stated that I am posted as Station House Officer at Police Station City Phagwara. Yesterday, on 08.01.2023 at about 09:05 PM, ASI Jasvir Singh, In-charge of Chowki Industrial Area, Phagwara, along with police employees, was present near Hair Palace, Phagwara, for patrolling and in search of miscreants. Where I, SI, along with staff, arrived in the official Scorpio vehicle No. PB-09-M-9529. There, Avtar Singh son of Jinder Singh resident of Gali No. 04, Mohalla Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Police Station City Phagwara, District Kapurthala met ASI Jasvir Singh, In- charge, and gave a statement regarding his white colored Creta vehicle No. PB-36-J-6240 being snatched at gunpoint by 04 unidentified youths. Upon this, I, SI, along with my staff Constable Kuldeep Singh No. 886/KPT, Constable Ranjit Singh No. 200/KPT, and the aforesaid Avtar Singh, in ASI Jasvir Singh's private vehicle, and ASI Inderjit Singh No. 125/KPT, ASI Jaswant Singh No. 785/KPT, and Constable Gaurav Kumar No. 139/KPT in my police station's aforementioned official vehicle, departed for the spot. The said Avtar Singh informed me that his vehicle is equipped with a GPS system and at this time, according to the GPS system, the location of his Creta vehicle is heading towards Dosanjh village. We started chasing the snatched vehicle according to the GPS system. When we reached the canal near village Jajja Khurd from village Kang Jagir, it was about 11:00 PM when the said Avtar Singh informed via the GPS system that the vehicle coming from the front was his vehicle. Due to the narrow road, the vehicles stopped facing each other. We got out and asked the youths in the opposite vehicle to get out. 04 unidentified youths got out of the vehicle and immediately started firing at the police party. As a result of the firing, Constable Kuldeep Singh No. 886/KPT SUKHPREET KAUR 2026.09.11 17:05 I agree to specified portions of this document CRM-M-44005-2026 ::3:: was shot in the right thigh, on the hip. We also started retaliatory firing. The police party chased the 04 youths, 03 youths jumped into the canal distributary and 01 youth fled towards the fields, taking advantage of the dense fog. The police party apprehended 03 youths from the canal distributary. When the apprehended youths were inspected by the police party, it was seen that they had sustained gunshot wounds. The 03 youths from whom 03 pistols and 11 rounds were recovered. On my instructions, ASI Jasvir Singh along with Constable Ranjit Singh No. 200/KPT took the said Constable Kuldeep Singh No. 886/KPT in his private vehicle for treatment. 1, along with the police party, admitted the three unidentified youths in an injured state to Civil Hospital, Phillaur, District Jalandhar for treatment. Their names and addresses were found to be Vishnu alias Sony son of Arjun Dev, resident of House No. 1299/2, Ganesh Nagar, Police Station Division No. 03, Ludhiana, District Ludhiana; Ranjit Singh alias Jeeta son of Lakhwinder Singh, resident of Bahmanian, Police Station Shahkot, District Jalandhar; and Kulwinder Singh alias Kinda son of Mohinder Singh, resident of Haripur, Police Station Adampur, District Jalandhar. From them, the name of the youth who fled was identified as Yuvraj Singh alias Jora son of Mohan Lal, resident of Farwala, Police Station Bilga, District Jalandhar Rural. I had the incident noted in the Phagwara control room and informed the concerned police station to take note. During this time, I received information that Constable Kuldeep Singh No. 886/KPT had been brought to Gandhi Hospital, Phagwara for treatment, where the doctor had declared him deceased. You, along with the police party, came to Civil Hospital, Phillaur, District Jalandhar, where I had my statement recorded with you, which I have read and heard and it is correct. Sd/ in English. Amandeep Kumar, SI. SUKHPREET KAUR 2026.09.11 17:05 I agree to specified portions of this document CRM-M-44005-2026 ::4:: 3. Pursuant to the registration of the FIR, a car in which the accused persons were travelling i.e. Creta car bearing registration No.PB- 36-J-6240 alongwith 03 pistols and 11 cartridges which were recovered from Vishnu @ Soni (petitioner), Ranjit Singh @ Jeeta and Kulwinder Singh @ Kinda were also taken into police possession. Further, 12 empty shells which were recovered from the spot were also taken into police possession. 4. On 12.01.2023, the complainant suffered a supplementary statement wherein he stated that Yuvraj Singh @ Jora was helped by Akashdeep Singh in getting escaped from the place of the occurrence and one Rahul Sood and Teja Mehatpuria were associates of Akashdeep Singh. Therefore, vide DDR No.51 dated 12.01.2023, Sections 353, 186, 216 and 120-B IPC were added. Akashdeep Singh, Rahul Sood and Teja Mehatpuria were nominated as an accused. 5. The learned counsel for the petitioner contends that as per the case of the prosecution, it was only Yuvraj Singh @ Jora who fired at the police party and the petitioner was merely sitting in the said vehicle. The investigation conducted so far would reveal that it was the police party that had fired more shots at the accused party. The petitioner-Vishnu @ Soni had fired only one shot at Constable Kuldeep Singh which proved to be fatal. As the petitioner is in custody since 25.01.2023 but none of the 36 prosecution witnesses has been examined so far, the Trial of the present case is not likely to be concluded anytime soon and therefore, he is entitled to the concession of bail. 6. The learned counsel for the State, on the other hand, has filed a reply dated 08.09.2026 which is taken on record. While referring to the said SUKHPREET KAUR 2026.09.11 17:05 I agree to specified portions of this document CRM-M-44005-2026 ::5:: reply, he contends that as per the prosecution case, the petitioner was in the vehicle from which firing took place. The said vehicle which a Creta bearing registration No.PB-36-J-6240 alongwith 03 pistols and 11 cartridges have been recovered from the petitioner-Vishnu @ Soni, Ranjit @ Jeeta and Kulwinder @ Kinda. Yuvraj @ Jora was arrested on 31.01.2023. He got recovered 02 country made pistols and 05 live cartridges. The allegations levelled against the petitioner and his co-accused alongwith the evidence in support thereof does not entitle him to the concession of bail, particularly, when he has criminal antecedents being an accused in 03 other cases. Therefore, the present petition is liable to be dismissed. 7. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties. 8. The relevant extract of the Status Report dated 08.09.2026 filed by way of an affidavit of Bharat Masih Ladhar, PPS, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sub Division Phillaur, District Jalandhar (Rural) is as under:- ROLE OF THE PETITIONER 12. That the petitioner has been specifically named in FIR wherein the complainant stated that the petitioner Vishnu @ Soni, with co-accused Yuvraj Singh along, Ranjit Singh @ Jeeta, and Kulwinder Singh @ Kinda started firing discriminately upon the police officials and one of the bullets hit the right thigh of Constable Kuldeep Singh as a result of which Constable Kuldeep Singh died. EVIDENCE AGAINST THE PETITIONER: 13. That the petitioner is the by name accused in the instant case, car in which the accused persons were travelling i.e. Creta bearing registration no. PB-36-J-6240 along with three pistols and 11 cartridges which were recovered from accused SUKHPREET KAUR 2026.09.11 17:05 I agree to specified portions of this document CRM-M-44005-2026 ::6:: Vishnu @ Soni (Petitioner), Ranjit Singh @ Jeeta, and Kulwinder Singh @ Kinda were also taken into police possession. Furthermore, 12 empty shells which were recovered from the spot were also taken into police possession. XXXX XXXX XXXX CRIMINAL ANTECEDENTS 15. That as per record, apart from instant case FIR, following 3 FIR(s) are registered against the petitioner and all the cases are under-trial: i. FIR No. 40 dated 30.01.2020 U/s 392/34 IPC, 25/54/59 Arms Act registered at Police Station: Division No. 08 Ludhiana, District Ludhiana. ii. FIR No. 82 dated 22.05.2020 U/s 25/54/59 Arms Act registered at Police Station: Sadar Khanna, District Ludhiana. iii. FIR No. 6 dated 09.01.2023 U/s 379B(2), 120B IPC, 25 and 27 of the Arms Act registered at Police Station: City Phagwara, District Kapurthala. 9. As per the allegations levelled in the FIR and the evidence collected in support thereof, the petitioner and his co-accused were travelling in a car and on confronting the police party, fired upon the same. Constable Kuldeep Singh died as a result of firing from the side of the accused persons. The allegations against the petitioner and his co-accused are grave inasmuch as when they tried to escape and were confronted by the police party, they fired upon the said police party. The petitioner has criminal antecedents being an accused in 03 other cases. 10. The nature of the allegations levelled against the petitioner alongwith his criminal antecedents do not entitle him to the concession of SUKHPREET KAUR 2026.09.11 17:05 I agree to specified portions of this document CRM-M-44005-2026 ::7:: bail. Therefore, I find no merit in the present petition and the same stands dismissed. 11. The pending application(s), if any, shall stand disposed of accordingly. ( JASJIT SINGH BEDI) September 10, 2026 JUDGE sukhpreet Whether speaking/reasoned : Yes/No Whether reportable : Yes/No SUKHPREET KAUR 2026.09.11 17:05 I agree to specified portions of this document