Former Ropar Range DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar’s judicial custody was extended by another 14 days on Thursday after he appeared before the CBI court through video conferencing from jail.
His custody had ended earlier in the day, and the court reviewed the material placed on record before ordering that he continue in judicial custody. The next hearing is scheduled for December 8, when the court will take up the family’s request to reopen his frozen bank accounts.
Bhullar, a senior IPS officer, was arrested in a case linked to allegations of bribery and possession of assets disproportionate to his known income. The case began with a complaint that he had demanded money from a Mandi Gobindgarh-based scrap dealer through a middleman, identified as Krishanu Sharda after which the CBI conducted searches and claimed to have recovered over Rs 7 crore cash, jewellery and documents related to multiple properties. The agency later froze several bank accounts connected to him and his family.
In their petition before the court, Bhullar’s family said that day-to-day expenses had become difficult to manage because all accounts, including his salary account, his son’s salary account and his father’s pension account, had been blocked.
They told the court that income from farming and rental properties was also not accessible. His son, who works as an Assistant Advocate General in Punjab, has reportedly been unable to withdraw his own salary because of the freeze.
Bhullar’s lawyer argued that the family should not be left without funds while the investigation continues. He said the CBI could carry on its probe but the accounts needed to be defrozen so basic expenses could be met. The court has issued a notice to the CBI seeking its reply before the next date.
The CBI, meanwhile, maintained that the freeze was necessary as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged accumulation of wealth and to ensure that evidence is not tampered with.
Meanwhile, the court will now review both the custody status after 14 days, and the plea on the frozen accounts on December 8, while Bhullar remains lodged in jail during the extension period.