Chandigarh: Punjab Police DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In his petition, Bhullar has questioned the agency’s jurisdiction, arguing that the CBI could not have proceeded without the Punjab government’s approval.
Bhullar’s counsel said that since he was serving in Punjab, the CBI was required to obtain mandatory consent from the state government under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, before registering a case.
The petition further claims that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had already registered an FIR for the same offence, with only a half-hour difference between the two, making the CBI case invalid.
In the first plea, Bhullar asserted that the CBI lacked jurisdiction to act against an officer posted in Punjab without state approval. He also argued that the FIR registered by the CBI’s Chandigarh unit was not legally maintainable, as the alleged offence took place in Punjab and therefore fell outside Chandigarh’s jurisdiction.
Bhullar said he could not have been arrested without the Punjab government’s permission and added that the 2023 case, under which he was arrested, pertains to Sirhind police station in Punjab. He also claimed that the items recovered in Chandigarh were not recovered from his possession.
Raising further objections, Bhullar said two FIRs cannot be registered for the same offence, pointing out that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had already lodged an FIR before the CBI.
