Mukul Kumar v. State of Punjab

o o o INoTHEoHIGHoCOURToOFoPUNJABoANDoHARYANAoATo CHANDIGARHo o o o o o o o o 127o o o o o o ooCRM-M-8938-2026oo o o o ooDateoofodecision:oo11.03.2026o o o o Dateoofouploading:oo11.03.2026o o o o MukuloKumaro o o o ....Petitionerooo o V/so o StateoofoPunjabo o o o ....Respondento o o CORAM:oo HON'BLEoMR.oJUSTICEoSUMEEToGOELo o Present:oo Mr.oViranjeetoSinghoMahal,oAdvocateoforotheopetitioner.o o o o o Mr.oHemantoAggarwal,oDAG,oPunjab.o o o oo *****o SUMEEToGOEL,oJ.o(ORAL)oo o

1.o o PresentopetitionohasobeenofiledounderoSectiono483oofoBNSo2023o forograntooforegularobailotootheopetitioneroinocaseobearingoFIRoNo.0211odatedo

23.11.2023oregisteredoforotheooffencesopunishableounderoSectionso420oando 406oofoIPCoandoSectiono13oofotheoPunjaboTraveloProfessionalo(Regulation)o Act,o2014,oatoPoliceoStationoBhawanigarh,oDistrictoSangrur.o

2.oo o Theo caseo seto upo ino theo FIRo ino questiono (aso seto outo byo theo petitioneroinotheopresentopetition)oisoasofollows:-o "Copyoofoapplication,oapplicationoPGDo231676oOfficeoofotheo Hon'bleoSSPoSahiboSangrur,oComplainantoHarjinderoKaurowifeo Gurvindero Singho sono ofo Mr.o Sukhpalo Singho residento ofo CRM-M-8938-2026o o P a g e o|o2o o o SanghredioPoliceoStationoBhawanigarhoagainstoMukaloKumaro sonoofoSureshoKumaroresidentoofoHouseoNo.o16-C,oCityoHam,o NearoBalaoRamoNagar,oFlatoNo.o6-C.oBathindaounderotheocrimeo ofo420,406oIPC,o13oPunjaboTraveloProfessionaloRegulationoActo 2012,o whoseo jailo is:-o Ato theo service,o Hon'bleo SSPo Sahib,o Sangrur.o Subject:o Applicationo Mukalo Kumaro sono ofo Suresho KumaroresidentoofoHouseoNo.o16C,oCityoHam,oNearoBalaoRamo Nagar,o Flato No.o 6C.o Bathinda-151001o Ownero ABMo Internationalo Maino Brancho Bathindao Mobileo No:o 6280013163,7888534476,o 9877454034,6280575356o regardingo theofraudoofoRs.o2500000/-ofromomyofamilyomemberobyogivingotheo languageoofogoingoabroadoandofilingoaocaseoagainstohim.oSir,oito isorequestedothatoHarjinderoKaurowifeoGurvinderoSinghosonoofo Mr.oSukhoPaloSinghoresidentoofoSanghoRorioTehsiloBhawanigarho DistrictoSangrur.oThatomyofamilyomemberoGurvinderoSinghoiso 12thopassoandodoesoagriculture.oThatoourorelativeoIqbaloSingh,o residentoofoDhilwa,odistrictoBarnala,ohadogotohisowife'sostudyo visaodoneoatotheoaboveomentionedoMukaloKumar'sosideo231676,o dueo too whicho weo hado establishedo rapporto witho theo aboveo mentionedoMukaloKumaroandoweohadodevelopedoaolotoofotrusto witho Mukalo Kumaro ando Mukalo Kumaro askedo myo husbando GurvinderoSinghowhatodooyouodooandohusbandoGurvinderoSingho toldo himo hiso businesso ando Mukalo Kumaro startedo tellingo myo husbando Gurvindero Singho thato Canada'so businesso ando visitoro visaohasocome,oIowillogiveoyouotheovisaowithinoaoweekoandotookouso intoocompleteoconfidenceoandobecameoaohusband,oinowhichoyouo willofirstohaveotoogiveomeo25,00000/-owhichoIowillogiveoyouotheo visaowithinoaoweekoandotookousointooconfidenceoandogaveoPPRotoo husbandoGurvinderoSinghoono31oAugusto2022.oTheopaymentowaso madeo ono 17o Septembero 2022o througho theo Chowko foro Rs.o 7,00,000/-o ando theno ino theo accounto ofo myo brothero Chamkauro Singhoonotheodate:oOno17oSeptembero2022,oRs.o5,00,000/-owaso depositedoinotheoaccountoofotheosaidoMukaloKumar.oAfterothis,o Rs.o3,00,000/-owasodepositedoinotheoaccountoofotheosaidoMukalo Kumaro ono 19o Septembero 2022.o Aftero this,o Rs.o 5,00000/-o waso depositedo ino theo accounto ofo Mukalo Kumaro ono 23/September/2022oandothenoRs.o5,00000/-owasodepositedoinotheo accountoofoMukaloKumaroandothenoMukaloKumaroandohisowifeo SukhmandeepocameotoomyohouseoinoourovillageoSanghredioando CRM-M-8938-2026o o P a g e o|o3o o o tooko 5,00000/-o ino theiro luxuryo caro registeredo HR26CA3848.o (Theseoareoattachedowithotheoentriesoofotheotransferredoposts).o Afterothis,oafterotheocompletionoofotheo25,000/-,otheopagetostartedo tellingousothatoyouroworkowillobeodoneoinoaofewodaysoandomyo husbandokeptoobjectingotoohisobusinessovisa,obutothisokeptomakingo usocryolikeotoday.oItohasobecomeoclearotoousothatoweohaveobeeno cheated.oMyohusbandoisomentallyodisturbedodueotoothisopersono cheatingousothatodueotoothisoincidentomyofather-in-lawoSukhpalo Singhohasodiedodueotooaoheartoattack.oHeoisonowoopenlyotellingouso thatoIoamonotogoingotooreturnoyouropayment,oyouocanotakeoanyo legaloactionoagainstome,onoooneocanoharmomeoandosaysothatoIo haveogoodopoliticaloandoadministrativeorelations,onowoweohaveo nooideaowhereoheois.oWeohaveotooseeoifoheohasogoneoabroad.oIfo anyountowardoincidentohappensotooourofamilyooromyohusband.o TheoresponsibilityoforothisowillobeowithotheosaidoMukaloKumaro andohisowifeoSukhmandeepoKaur.oHisostaffoisoalsooassociatedo witho thiso Mukalo Kumar.o Thereo areo alsoo callo recordingso ando WhatsAppomessagesoofomyohusband'soconversationowithoMukalo Kumar,oifoweocanopresentothemotooyouoasoevidence.oTherefore,oIo haveo comeo too youo too seeko legalo help.o Io hopeo thato youo willo definitelyogiveousojustice.oByosubmittingothisoapplication,oitoiso humblyorequestedotooyouothatodueolegaloactionoshouldobeotakeno inotheoaboveoregardoandojusticeoshouldobeogivenotoousoandotheo moneyoofotheorightfulohardoworkoshouldobeogivenotoome,oSir,omyo husbandowantedotoogooabroadoandomakeoaolifeoforohisofamily,obuto theosaidoMukaloKumarohasobroughtousoonotheoroad,oweohaveo becomeoveryounhappyowithoourolives.oSir,opleaseogiveousojustice.o Youo willo beo veryo kind.o Witho thanks.o Yourso faithfully,o right/-o HarjinderoKaurowifeoGurvinderoSinghosonoMr.oSukhpaloSingho residento ofo Sanghredio Tehsilo Bhawanigarho Districto Sangruro Mobile:o94645-67286.o"o

3.o o Learnedo counselo appearingo foro theo petitionero haso submittedo thato theo petitionero iso ino custodyo sinceo 04.06.2025.o o Learnedo counselo appearingoforotheopetitionerohasofurtherosubmittedotheopetitionerohasobeeno falselyoimplicatedointootheoFIRoinoquestion.ooLearnedocounseloappearingoforo theopetitionerohasofurtheroarguedothatotheopetitionerowasomerelyohelpingotheo CRM-M-8938-2026 P a g e | 4

o ()*5 omplainant//i timotoopursueotheodreamoforogoingoabroad.oo6earnedo ounseloappearingoforotheopetitionerohasofurtheroarguedothatotheomone3oino 2uestionoprimaril3odepositedoinotheoG)-oA ounto0Guaranteedo)n/estmento -ertifi ate1.o o 6earnedo ounselo appearingo foro theo petitionero haso sufferedo in ar erationoforomoreothano8omonths.o.hus,oregularobailoisopra3edofor.

¶46earnedo Stateo ounselo opposedo theo granto ofo bailo too theo petitionerob3oarguingothatothe allegations raised are serious in nature and, thus, the petitioner does not deserve the concession of regular bail. 6earnedo Stateo ounselo see9so too pla eo ono re ordo ustod3o ertifi ateo datedo +'.'#.&'&,oino-ourt,owhi hoisota9enoonore ord.o

¶5I have heard counsel for the parties and have gone through the available records of the case.

5.1. At this juncture, it would be apposite to refer herein to a judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court titled as Gudikanti Narasimhulu and others vs. Public Prosecutor, High Court of Andhra Pradesh AIR 1978 SUPREME COURT 429, relevant whereof reads as under: "10. The significance and sweep of Article 21 make the deprivation of liberty a matter of grave concern and permissible only when the law authorising it is reasonable, even-handed and geared to the goals of community good and State necessity spelt out in Article 19. Indeed, the considerations I have set out as criteria are germane to the constitutional proposition I have deduced. Reasonableness postulates intelligent care and predicates that deprivation of freedom-by refusal of bail is not for punitive purpose but for the bi-focal interests of justice-to the individual involved and society affected.

¶11We must weigh the contrary factors to answer the test of reasonableness, subject to the need for securing the presence, of the bail applicant. It makes sense to assume that a man on bail has a better chance to prepare or present his case than one remanded in custody. And if public justice is to be promoted, mechanical detention should be CRM-M-8938-2026 P a g e | 5

o close to ours, the function of bail is limited, 'community roots' of the, applicant are stressed and, after the Vera Foundation's Manhattan Bail Project, monetary suretyship is losing ground. The considerable public expense in keeping in custody where no danger of disappearance or disturbance can arise, is not a negligible consideration. Equally important is the deplorable condition, verging on. the inhuman, of our sub-jails, that the unrewarding cruelty and expensive custody of avoidable incarceration makes refusal of bail unreasonable and a Policy favouring release justly sensible.

¶12A few other weighty factors deserve reference. All deprivation of liberty is validated by social defence and individual correction along an anti-criminal direction. Public justice is central to the whole scheme of bail law. Fleeing justice must be forbidden but punitive harshness should be minimised. Restorative devices to redeem the man, even, through community service, meditative drill, study classes or other resources should be innovated, and playing foul with public peace by tampering with evidence, intimidating witnesses or committing offence while on judicially sanctioned 'free enterprise,' should be provided against. No seeker of justice shall play confidence tricks on the court or community. Thus, conditions may be hung around bail orders, not to cripple but to protect. Such is the holistic jurisdiction and humanistic orientation invoked by the judicial discretion correlated to the values of our constitution."

5.2. Further, the Hon'ble Supreme Court in a judgment titled as Gurcharan Singh vs. State (UT of Delhi) 1978 (1) SCC 118, has held as under:- "Where the granting of bail lies within the discretion of the court, the granting or denial is regulated, to a large extent, by the facts and circumstances of each particular case. Since the object of the detention or imprisonment of the accused is to secure his appearance and submission to the jurisdiction and the judgment of the court, the primary inquiry is whether a recognizance or bond would effect that end."

5.3. Furthermore, the Hon'ble Supreme Court in a judgment tiled as Sanjay Chandra vs. CBI (2012) 1 SCC 40, has held as under: CRM-M-8938-2026 P a g e | 6

o "21. In bail applications, generally, it has been laid down from the earliest times that the object of bail is to secure the appearance of the accused person at his trial by reasonable amount of bail. The object of bail is neither punitive nor preventative. Deprivation of liberty must be considered a punishment, unless it can be required to ensure that an accused person will stand his trial when called upon. The courts owe more than verbal respect to the principle that punishment begins after conviction, and that every man is deemed to be innocent until duly tried and duly found guilty.

¶22From the earliest times, it was appreciated that detention in custody pending completion of trial could be a cause of great hardship. From time to time, necessity demands that some un-convicted persons should be held in custody pending trial to secure their attendance at the trial but in such cases, "necessity" is the operative test. In this country, it would be quite contrary to the concept of personal liberty enshrined in the Constitution that any person should be punished in respect of any matter, upon which, he has not been convicted or that in any circumstances, he should be deprived of his liberty upon only the belief that he will tamper with the witnesses if left at liberty, save in the most extraordinary circumstances."

¶6The petitioner was arrested on 04.06.2025 whereinafter investigation was carried out and challan was presented on 30.7.2025. Total 10 prosecution have been cited and it is the conceded position before this Court that only one of the prosecution witnesses has been examined till date. It is not in dispute that conclusion of trial will take long time. It is also not in dispute before this Court that trial emanating from the FIR in question is a Magisterial one. At this juncture, it would be apposite to refer herein to the dicta passed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court Javed Gulam Nabi Shaikh vs. State of Maharashtra and another, 2024(3) RCR (Criminal) 494, relevant whereof reads thus: o "17)oCri!inal'oareonotobornoo tob to!a#e)o3heoh !ano potentialoinoe&eryoneoi'ogoo#oan#o'o,one&ero%riteooffoanyocri!inalo a'obeyon#ore#e!ption)o3hi'oh !ani'tof n#a!entaloi'oofteno!i''e#o CRM-M-8938-2026o o P a g e o|o7o o o whenodealingowithodelinquents,ojuvenileoandoadult.oIndeed,oeveryo sainto haso ao pasto ando everyo sinnero ao future.o Wheno ao crimeo iso committed,o ao varietyo ofo factorso iso responsibleo foro makingo theo offendero commito theo crime.o Thoseo factorso mayo beo socialo ando economic,omayobe,otheoresultoofovalueoerosionooroparentaloneglect;o mayo be,o becauseo ofo theo stresso ofo circumstances,o oro theo manifestationoofotemptationsoinoaomilieuoofoaffluenceocontrastedo withoindigenceoorootheroprivations.oo o 19.oIfotheoStateooroanyoprosecutingoagencyoincludingotheo courtoconcernedohasonoowherewithalotooprovideooroprotectotheo fundamentalo righto ofo ano accusedo too haveo ao speedyo trialo aso enshrinedounderoArticleo21oofotheoConstitutionothenotheoStateooro anyootheroprosecutingoagencyoshouldonotoopposeotheopleaoforobailo onotheogroundothatotheocrimeocommittedoisoserious.oArticleo21oofo theoConstitutionoappliesoirrespectiveoofotheonatureoofotheocrime."o o o Theorivalocontentionsoofotheolearnedocounseloforotheoparties;oaso tootheowhetherotheopetitionerohasobeenofalselyoimplicatedointootheoFIR,oshallo beo goneo intoo duringo theo courseo ofo trial.o o Thiso Courto doeso noto deemo ito appropriateotoodelveodeepointootheseorivalocontentions,oatothisostageolestoito mayoprejudiceotheorightsoofoeitheroofotheoparties.ooNothingotangibleohasobeeno broughto forwardo too indicateo theo likelihoodo ofo theo petitionero abscondingo fromotheoprocessoofojusticeoorointerferingowithotheoremainingoprosecutiono evidence.ooo

7.o o Asoperotheocustodyocertificateodatedo10.03.2026ofiledobyotheo learnedoStateocounsel,otheopetitionerohasosufferedoincarcerationoforo9omonthso &o 4o dayso ando iso statedo too beo involvedo ino multipleo othero FIRs/criminalo complaint(s).ooHowever,othisofactumocannotobeoaogroundosufficientobyoitself,o toodeclineotheoconcessionooforegularobailotootheopetitioneroinotheoFIRoino questionowhenoaocaseoisomadeooutoforograntooforegularobailoquaotheoFIRoino questiono byo ratiocinatingo upono theo facts/circumstanceso ofo theo saido FIR.o CRM-M-8938-2026 P a g e | 8

o *elian eoinothisoregardo anobeopla edouponotheojudgmentoofotheoHon:bleo Supremeo-ourtoinoMaulanaoMohd.oAmiroRashadiov.oStateoofoU.P.oando another,o2012o(1)oRCRo(Criminal)o5 !;oaoDi/isiono$en hojudgmentoofotheo Hon:bleo-al uttaoHigho-ourtoino aseoofoSridharo"asov.oState,o1## o(2)o RCRo(Criminal)o$%%o<ojudgmentsoofothiso-ourtoinoCRM&Mo'o.( 22& 2022otitledoasoA)hileshoSin*hov.oStateoofo+ar,ana,ode idedoono&8.++.&'&+,o ando-alra.ov.oStateoofo+ar,ana,o1## o(()oRCRo(Criminal)o1#1. Suffice to say, the further detention of the petitioner in custody is not required in the facts and circumstances of the case.

¶8In view of above, the petition in hand is allowed. The petitioner is ordered to be released on regular bail on his furnishing bail/surety bonds to the satisfaction of the learned concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate. However, in addition to conditions that may be imposed by the concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate, the petitioner shall remain bound by the following conditions:-

(i) The petitioner shall not mis-use the liberty granted.

(ii) The petitioner shall not tamper with any evidence, oral or documentary, during the trial.

(iii) The petitioner shall not absent himself on any date before the trial.

(iv) The petitioner shall not commit any offence while on bail.

(v) The petitioner shall deposit his passport, if any, with the trial Court.

(vi) The petitioner shall give his cell phone number to the Investigating Officer/SHO of concerned Police Station and shall not change his cell-phone number without prior permission of the trial Court/Illaqa CRM-M-8938-2026 P a g e | 9

o

(vii) The petitioner shall not in any manner try to delay the trial.

¶9In case of breach of any of the aforesaid conditions and those which may be imposed by concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate as directed hereinabove or upon showing any other sufficient cause, the State/complainant shall be at liberty to move cancellation of bail of the petitioner.

¶10Ordered accordingly.

¶11Nothing said hereinabove shall be construed as an expression of opinion on the merits of the case.

¶12Since the main case has been decided, pending miscellaneous application, if any, shall also stands disposed off.

(SUMEET GOEL) JUDGE March 11, 2026 ,a&een Whether speaking/reasoned: Yes/No