Mohali court discharges Jaggu Bhagwanpuria in 2023 UAPA case

A Mohali court has discharged gangster Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria from a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), holding that there was no admissible evidence against him and that the competent authority had declined sanction to prosecute him.

The FIR was registered against Jagdeep Singh, Amritpal Singh, Pargat Singh, Darmanjot Singh and Paramjit Singh in 2023 under Sections 17, 18 and 20 of the UAPA, Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act, based on intelligence inputs alleging involvement in unlawful and anti-national activities.

During investigation, police had arrested Yuvraj Singh, Nishan Singh, Jaspal Singh and Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu. The case came up for hearing on the question of charge as well as an application under Section 227 CrPC filed on behalf of Bhagwanpuria seeking his discharge.

The prosecution claimed that Yuvraj Singh and Nishan Singh were arrested with a .32 bore pistol, four live cartridges and a motorcycle, following which Jaspal Singh alias Honey was arrested based on mobile phone analysis. Bhagwanpuria was later taken on production warrants and joined in the investigation.

The court noted that no recovery was made from Bhagwanpuria and that he was nominated in the case solely on the basis of disclosure statements made by the co-accused. The court further observed that the competent authority had refused sanction to prosecute him, recording that the only material against him was his alleged confession before the police, which is inadmissible under Section 25 of the Indian Evidence Act.

At the same time, the court found sufficient prima facie material against the remaining accused Jaspal Singh alias Honey, Yuvraj Singh alias Chinna and Nishan Singh and framed charges against them under Sections 17, 18 and 20 of the UAPA, Section 120-B IPC and provisions of the Arms Act. All three pleaded not guilty and claimed a trial.

Bhagwanpuria, a resident of Gurdaspur, is a notorious gangster with more than 120 criminal cases registered against him, including charges of murder, extortion, drug trafficking and Arms Act violations. He was earlier in Punjab Police custody in connection with the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala and was later detained under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. He was subsequently shifted from Bathinda central jail to Silchar jail in Assam.

The court directed the summoning of prosecution witnesses for January 28, 2026, to proceed with the trial against the remaining accused.