New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant bail to suspended Punjab deputy inspector general (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar in a corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court granted him liberty to revive his plea if the trial does not commence within two months.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said it found no merit in Bhullar’s plea challenging the denial of bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court. The bench, however, added that Bhullar would be at liberty to approach the court again in case of a delay in the commencement of the trial.
Bhullar had moved the top court against a February 16 order of the Punjab and Haryana high court, which had rejected his bail plea in the corruption case registered on October 16 last year.
The high court had upheld the January 2 order of a Chandigarh trial court refusing bail, which described the allegations against the senior IPS officer as constituting “a class apart being an alarming economic offence”.
In his plea before the high court and the Supreme Court, Bhullar contended that the investigation in the case had been completed and a chargesheet filed on January 3, rendering further custodial interrogation unnecessary.
‘Not flight risk, have deep roots’
Represented through senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi in the apex court, Bhullar argued that he was not a flight risk and had deep roots in society. The plea stated that the prosecution case was largely based on official witnesses. Since he had already been suspended from service, there was no likelihood of his influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.
Bhullar also submitted that he had already spent a considerable period in custody and that the maximum punishment in the case, if convicted, was seven years. Continued incarceration before trial, he argued, would amount to punitive detention, contrary to settled principles governing bail.
The CBI, before the trial and high courts, had opposed his plea, citing the gravity and seriousness of the allegations, the specific role attributed to him, and the possibility of his influencing witnesses or interfering with the course of justice if released.
According to the agency, Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer posted as DIG, Ropar Range, was arrested on October 16 along with an alleged middleman, Krishanu Sharda, a 29-year-old national-level hockey player, following a complaint by a scrap dealer from Mandi Gobindgarh.
The CBI alleged that Bhullar was caught demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹8 lakh through an intermediary to “settle” a criminal case against the complainant. The agency further claimed that the officer had been soliciting recurring monthly payments.
Recovery of cash, luxury assets
Subsequent searches at Bhullar’s residence in Chandigarh reportedly led to the recovery of around ₹7.5 crore in cash, gold and silver jewellery worth ₹2.32 crore, 22 luxury watches, multiple high-end vehicles, about 40 litres of imported liquor, and documents relating to extensive immovable assets. These included approximately 129 acres of agricultural land, multiple urban properties in Patiala, Ludhiana, Mohali and New Chandigarh, and around 50 commercial shops in Machhiwara.
Bhullar has been lodged in Model Jail, Chandigarh, since his arrest.
The CBI has also registered a separate case against him for alleged possession of disproportionate assets. While a chargesheet in that case is yet to be filed, Bhullar had secured bail from a trial court on January 5 in those proceedings.
Apart from seeking bail, Bhullar had earlier challenged the very registration of the case by the CBI, raising a jurisdictional objection that the federal agency could not investigate or arrest a serving IPS officer posted in Punjab without requisite consent. He failed to secure relief from the high court and later from the Supreme Court in December 2025 on that issue.
