The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea filed by suspended Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar seeking a stay on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in two FIRs registered against him in a disproportionate assets case.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, noted that the Punjab and Haryana High Court was already seized of a similar challenge raised by Bhullar. The officer has assailed a December 4 order of the high court which refused interim relief and adjourned his plea against the CBI proceedings for hearing in January.
When Bhullar’s counsel sought directions for an early decision on interim relief, CJI Surya Kant cautioned against inviting adverse remarks, saying, “It’s better, we don’t open our mouths. Don’t invite harsh observations from us.”
Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary, appearing for Bhullar, argued that the high court had erred in adjourning the matter by a month without considering the request for interim protection. He contended that the CBI had wrongly assumed jurisdiction in violation of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, as Punjab had withdrawn its general consent for CBI investigations.
“CBI has surreptitiously entered Punjab and circumvented Section 6 of the DSPE Act,” Chaudhary submitted, adding that the high court had not assigned reasons for refusing interim relief except stating that the matter would be heard.
Opposing the plea, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, informed the court that Bhullar had already been denied regular bail.
The bench said it was not inclined to interfere with the proceedings pending before the high court and indicated that it was inclined to dismiss the petition. Sensing the court’s view, Chaudhary sought permission to withdraw the plea and pursue remedies before the high court. The Supreme Court accordingly disposed of the matter.
Bhullar was arrested by the CBI on October 16 in connection with a corruption case involving alleged bribery of Rs 8 lakh. The agency claimed that during raids at his residence, it recovered around Rs 5 crore in cash, 1.50 kg of jewellery, documents related to immovable properties, keys of two luxury vehicles, 22 luxury watches, locker keys, about 40 litres of imported liquor, and firearms including a double-barrel gun, a pistol, a revolver and an airgun, along with ammunition.
The CBI alleged that Bhullar was detained from his Mohali office following a complaint by a scrap dealer from Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district, who accused the senior officer of demanding recurring monthly payments to “settle” a 2023 FIR registered against him.
Bhullar was appointed DIG of the Ropar Range in November 2024, which includes Mohali, Rupnagar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. He is the son of former Punjab Director General of Police M S Bhullar.
During his career, Bhullar has served as DIG (Patiala Range), joint director of the Vigilance Bureau, and senior superintendent of police in several districts including Jagraon, Mohali, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Khanna, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur. He had also headed a special investigation team probing a 2021 drug case against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia and was actively associated with the Punjab government’s anti-drug campaign, Yudh Nashian Virudh.
