Lakhvir Singh Sidhu Alias Lakhveer Singh Sidhu v. State of Punjab

o o o INoTHEoHIGHoCOURToOFoPUNJABoANDoHARYANAoATo CHANDIGARHo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 120o o o o o o ooCRM-M-24396-2026oo o o o ooDateoofodecision:oo07.05.2026o o o o Dateoofouploading:oo07.05.2026o o LakhviroSinghoSidhuo@oLakhveeroSinghoSidhuo o ....Petitionerooo o V/so o StateoofoPunjabo o o o ....Respondento o CORAM:oo HON'BLEoMR.oJUSTICEoSUMEEToGOELo o Present:oo Mr.oVaibhavoSehgal,oAdvocateoforotheopetitioner.o o o o o Mr.oAdhirajoSingh,oAAG,oPunjab.o o o oo *****o SUMEEToGOEL,oJ.o(ORAL)oo o

1.o o PresentopetitionohasobeenofiledounderoSectiono483oofoBNSSo 2023oforograntooforegularobailotootheopetitioneroinocaseobearingoFIRoNo.o27o datedo 03.03.2026o u/so 318(4)o 316(2)o ando 61(2)o ofo BNS,o 2023,o (CorrespondingoSectionsoareo420,o406,o120-BoofoIPC),oregisteredoatoPoliceo StationoSudhar,oPoliceoCommissionerate,oLudhiana.o

2.oo o Theo caseo seto upo ino theo FIRo ino questiono (aso seto outo byo theo petitioneroinotheopresentopetition)oisoasofollows:-o "ItoisorecordedothatoatopresentocomplaintoNo.o6616-odatedo24-11-25o byo Senioro Superintendento ofo Policeo Ludhianao Ruralo U.I.Do 707846obyoManvinderoSinghosonoofoGurmeetoSinghoresidentoofo LadhaikeoTeh.oBaghaoPuranaoDistrictoMogaoMo:o78884-89558o againsto Lakhviro Singho Sidhuo sono ofo Gurdevo Singho residento ofo CRM-M-24396-2026o o P a g e o|o2o o o CollegeoRoadonearoSinghoSabhaoGurdwaraoMullapuroandoAgento Reenao Rani,o wifeo ofo lateo Rakesho Kumar,o daughtero ofo Umao Shankar,oresidentoofoAbuwal,ohasobeenoreceivedobyohandothrougho SCTojagdevosingho428opoliceostation.oTheopetitioneroisoinojail.o "Honorableo SSPo Sir,o Ludhianao (Rural).o Subject:o Travelo Agento Lakhviro Singho ando Madamo Reenao Ranio cheatedo meo ofo Rs.o 6,50,000/-o ono theo pretexto ofo sendingo meo abroado througho visao alongowithoworkopermitotooEnglandoandonowoopenlyothreateningo me.oSir,oitoisohumblyorequestedothatoIoamoManvinderoSinghosonoofo GurmeetoSinghoresidentoofoLudhaikeoTeh:oBaghaoPuranaoDistricto MogaoandoIoamodoingoagriculturalowork.oIoManvinderoSinghowaso marriedotooKirandeepoKaur.oWeobothohaveodoneogoodoeducation.o Weowantedotoogooabroad.oWeometotraveloAgentoLakhviroSinghoando Madamo Reenao Ranio ato theiro officeo Safeo Consulto Immigrationo ReformoTehsil:oRaikotoDistrictoLudhiana.oWeowereocalledotootheo officeo ando toldo thato weo willo geto ao visao ando worko permito foro Englandowithino2omonths.oWeohadogivenotheseomoneyoandopaperso onoJulyo2024.oTheoticketocostoincludingoeverythingowasotoldotoobeo 30olakhorupees.oWeobothohusbandoandowifeotalkedotooourofamilieso ando aso pero theo adviceo ofo theseo twoo agents,o weo broughto theseo passports,omarriageocertificates,oAadharocard,oPINocard,oothero educationocertificatesoandobankostatements,ophotosoetc.oeverythingo tootheooffice.oAsoperotheiroadvice,oweopaidoRs.o5,50,000/oonotheo spot.o Aftero that,o aso pero theiro advice,o Rs.o 1,00,000/-o waso transferredo too theiro account.o Whileo theyo hado takeno 3o blanko chequesoasoaoguaranteeofromome,otheyohadoaddedothatotheoentireo amountowouldobeopaidoandotheochequesowouldobeoreturnedoonceo theo visao ando permito wereo cleared.o Aftero that,o theseo liarso kepto harassingomeoforoaolongotimeoIoaskedomultipleotimesoandowentotoo theiroofficeobutotheyokeptoonodelayingoonooneopretextooroanother...o ThenoIotookoimportantopeopleowithomeoandowentotootheirooffice.o TheyoreturnedomeoRso1olakhoandotoldotheyowilloreturnoremainingo amountowithino15odays.oAfterothat,otheyodeniedotooreturnomeomyo moneyoandotheyoopenlyosayothatonoopoliceocanospoiloanything.oIfo youo comeo too ouro officeo aftero today,o theyo willo breako myo legs.o MadamoReenaoRaniosaid,osheowillofalselyoaccuseomeothatoIohaveo triedotoooutrageoheromodestyoandowillogetoaocaseoregistered.oTheyo haveoruinedotheofutureoofobothomeoandomyowife.oTheyohaveocheatedo meoopenly,oSoopleaseotakeostrictestoactionoagainstotheosaidotravelo CRM-M-24396-2026o o P a g e o|o3o o o agento Lakhviro Singh.o Mobileo No.o 99156-28068,o ando Madamo ReenaoRani,oMobileoNo.o98556-98291,oandoreturnomyomoneyoando documentsotoome.oIowillobeoveryogratefulotooyou.oDateo24.11.2025o Yoursofaithfully,oSd/-ManwinderoSingh."o

3.o o Learnedocounseloappearingoforotheopetitionerohasosubmittedo3.o thato theo petitionero iso ino custodyo sinceo 03.03.2026.o Learnedo counselo appearingoforotheopetitionerohasofurtheroarguedothatotheoFIR-complainanto hadoinitiallyoallegedothatotheopetitionerohadoreceivedo₹1olakhoandolateroono hasoaggravatedotheoamountotoo₹6.5olakhs.oLearnedocounseloappearingoforotheo petitionerohasofurtherosubmittedotheopetitionerohasobeenofalselyoimplicatedo intootheoFIRoinoquestion,oasotheopetitionerowasomerelyohelpingotheoFIR-complainantotoopursueohisodreamotoogooabroad,obutowhenotheosameodidonoto fructifyo too theo satisfactiono ofo theo complainant,o theo instanto FIRo waso registeredo againsto theo petitioner.o Learnedo counselo appearingo foro theo petitionerohasofurtherosubmittedothatotheotrialoemanatingofromotheoFIRoino questionoisomagisterialoone.oThus,oregularobailoisoprayedofor.oo

4.o o Learnedo Stateo counselo opposedo theo granto ofo bailo too theo petitionerobyoarguingothatotheoallegationsoraisedoareoseriousoinonatureoand,o thus,o theo petitionero doeso noto deserveo theo concessiono ofo regularo bail.oo Learnedo Stateo counselo seekso too placeo ono recordo custodyo certificateo datedo

06.05.2026oinoCourt,owhichoisotakenoonorecord.oo

5.o o Iohaveoheardocounseloforotheopartiesoandohaveogoneothroughotheo availableorecordsoofotheocase.oo o

5.1.o o Ato thiso juncture,o ito wouldo beo appositeo too refero hereino too ao judgmentoofotheoHon'bleoSupremeoCourtotitledoasoGudikantioNarasimhuluo CRM-M-24396-2026 P a g e | 4

o 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 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 CRM-M-24396-2026 P a g e | 5

o 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: "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." CRM-M-24396-2026 P a g e | 6

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¶6The petitioner was arrested on 03.03.2026 whereinafter investigation was carried out and challan was presented on 01.05.2026. Total 15 prosecution have been cited and it is the conceded position before this Court that none 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. The rival contentions of the learned counsel for the parties; as to the whether the petitioner has been falsely implicated into the FIR, shall be gone into during the course of trial. This Court does not deem it appropriate to delve deep into these rival contentions, at this stage lest it may prejudice the rights of either of the parties. !othingo tangibleo haso beeno broughto for3ardo too indicateo theo li6elihoodo ofo theo petitioneroabscondingofro.otheoprocessoofojusticeoorointerferingo3ithotheo re.ainingoprosecutionoe5idence.

¶7As per the custody certificate dated 06.05.2026 filed by the learned State counsel, the petitioner has suffered incarceration for 2 months & 1 day and is stated to be involved in other FIRs. 8o3e5er,othisofactu.o cannotobeoaogroundosufficientob2oitself,otoodeclineotheoconcessionooforegularo bailotootheopetitioneroinotheo$%&oino1uestiono3henoaocaseoiso.adeooutoforo grantooforegularobailo<uaotheo$%&oino1uestionob2oratiocinatingouponotheo facts/circu.stancesoofotheosaido$%&.o&elianceoinothisoregardocanobeoplacedo uponotheojudg.entoofotheo8on9bleoSupre.eo,ourtoinoMaulanaoMohd.oAmiro Rashadiov.oStateoofoU.P.oandoanother,o2012o(1)oRCRo(Criminal)o5 !:oao ;i5isiono enchojudg.entoofotheo8on9bleo,alcuttao8igho,ourtoinocaseoofo Sridharo"asov.oState,o1## o(2)oRCRo(Criminal)o$%%o<ojudg.entsoofothiso CRM-M-24396-2026 P a g e | 7

o ,ourto ino CRM&Mo 'o.( 22&2022o titledo aso A)hilesho Sin*ho v.o Stateo ofo +ar,ana,odecidedoono"=.))."#"),oando-alra.ov.oStateoofo+ar,ana,o1## o(()o RCRo(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 Magistrate.

(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 CRM-M-24396-2026 P a g e | 8

o 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 May 07, 2026 Na(een Whether speaking/reasoned: Yes/No