In a sharp rebuke to alleged police high-handedness, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea by Punjab Police officers challenging the transfer of investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged assault case involving an Indian Army Colonel and his son. The top court upheld the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s decision to hand over the probe to the central agency, stating such “lawlessness is not acceptable.”
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Satish Chandra Sharma came down heavily on the conduct of the police officers, saying, “You are sleeping peacefully in your house because the Army is serving at the border… at minus 40 degrees.” The court added, “When the war is going on, you glorify these Army officers. Have some respect for them.”
The incident occurred during the night of March 13–14, 2025, when Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath and his son were dining at a roadside dhaba in Patiala. According to the Colonel, a group of 12 Punjab Police personnel, including four inspectors and armed subordinates, assaulted them following a dispute over parking. The Colonel claimed they snatched his ID card and mobile phone, and threatened him with a “fake encounter,” all of which was allegedly captured on CCTV.
Following initial public outrage, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had, on April 3, transferred the probe to Chandigarh Police. However, citing lack of progress and deliberate inaction, the High Court on July 16 ordered that the case be handed over to the CBI.
Appearing for Colonel Bath, Advocate Sumeer Sodhi submitted that the Chandigarh Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by SP Manjeet Sheoran, had failed to make any arrests or initiate legal proceedings against the accused despite the passage of over three months.
The petition noted that no non-bailable warrants or proclaimed offender proceedings had been issued, alleging a “conscious effort” to shield the accused officers.
The Supreme Court echoed those concerns, observing, “Let the CBI look into this. They go and defend you, and they come back wrapped in a national flag.”
