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102

IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT

CHANDIGARH

COCP-4745-2025 (O&M)

Date of Decision : 30.01.2026

RAMESH RANGA .... Petitioner

VERSUS

SUNNY WALIA AND ORS .... Respondents

CORAM : HON’BLE MRS. JUSTICE ALKA SARIN

Present : Mr. Mayur Karkra, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. T.S. Grewal, Advocate for respondents No.1 and 3.

Ms. Ruchi Sekhri, Advocate for respondent No.2

assisted by ASI Rajesh Chauhan – respondent No.2.

Mr. Vishnav Gandhi, DAG Punjab.

ALKA SARIN, J. (ORAL)

1. The present contempt petition has been filed under Section 12 of

the Contempt of Courts Act, 1972 read with Article 226/227 of the

Constitution of India for intentional, deliberate and wilful disobedience of the

orders dated 24.07.2019 (Annexure P-5) and dated 30.10.2019 (Annexure P-

9) passed by this Court in CRM-M-31294-2019.

2. Brief facts relevant to the present lis are that a FIR being FIR

No.443 dated 21.12.2018 under Section 376 Indian Penal Code, 1860 and

Section 4 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 was

registered against the petitioner at Police Station Zirakpur. During the

pendency of the trial, it was alleged by the petitioner that when the case was

AMAN JAIN

2026.01.31 09:29

I attest to the accuracy and

integrity of this

order/judgment

COCP-4745-2025 (O&M) -2-

fixed for prosecution evidence before the Trial Court on 05.07.2019, the child

witness was tutored to identify the petitioner in the Court room. It was further

alleged that the entire incident was captured in the CCTV footage of camera

No.D2C13 installed outside the Child Court Room in the corridor on

05.07.2019 between 11:30 am to 03:00 pm. It was further alleged that the

petitioner moved an application on 12.07.2019 to preserve the said footage

before the learned District and Sessions Judge, Mohali. The said application

was declined by the learned District and Sessions Judge vide letter dated

16.07.2019 in view of the law laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the

case of ‘Pradyuman Bisht V/s Union of India’. The petitioner thereafter filed

a petition before this Court being CRM-M-31294-2019 seeking directions to

preserve the CCTV footage. It is to be noted that neither the learned District

and Sessions Judge nor the System Officer were a party to this petition. A

copy of the said petition has been appended with the present contempt petition

as Annexure P-4. A perusal of the same reveals that there was only one party

which was impleaded i.e. State of Punjab. On 24.07.2019 notice of motion

was issued and an order was passed in the above CRM-M directing the learned

District and Sessions Judge to ensure that the concerned CCTV footage, till

then, is preserved. On the said date i.e. 24.07.2019 only counsel for the

petitioner had appeared in the above CRM-M. Even the presence of the State

counsel is not recorded. An e-mail was sent to the learned District and

Sessions Judge on 01.08.2019 by the Registry conveying the order dated

24.07.2019 passed by this Court in the above CRM-M. The matter thereafter

was taken up on 30.10.2019. Strangely, when the matter was taken up on

AMAN JAIN

2026.01.31 09:29

I attest to the accuracy and

integrity of this

order/judgment

COCP-4745-2025 (O&M) -3-

30.10.2019 the learned State counsel, on instructions of one HC Rajesh

Chauhan (now ASI), who has been impleaded as respondent No.2 herein,

undertook that the CCTV footage detailed in the petition will not be destroyed,

provided the same is there in the equipment as on date. The petition itself was

to preserve the CCTV footage of the camera installed in the corridor in the

Court Complex in SAS Nagar (Mohali). On 30.10.2019 the said CRM-M-

31294-2019 was withdrawn.

3. On 12.09.2025 the present contempt petition was filed wherein

on 15.01.2026 the following order was passed :

‘In the present case, the petitioner herein had filed a

petition being CRM-M-31294-2019 tilted as “Ramesh

Ranga Vs. State of Punjab” for preservation of CCTV

footage dated 05.07.2019 pertaining to the corridor in the

Court Complex in SAS Nagar (Mohali). On