211 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of Decision:09.01.2025 Harpreet Singh …Petitioner vs.

State of Punjab …Respondent Coram : Hon’ble Mr. Justice N.S.Shekhawat Present : Mr. Vivek K. Thakur, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. M.S. Bajwa, DAG, Punjab.

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N.S.Shekhawat J. (Oral)

1. The petitioner has filed the present petition under Section 482 of the B.N.S.S with a prayer to grant anticipatory bail to him in case FIR No.203, dated 14.10.2020, registered under Sections 21(1) of the Mines and Minerals (Regulation of Development) Act and under Section 379 of IPC, at Police Station Garhshankar, District Hoshiarpur (Annexure P-1).

2. Learned counsel for the petitioner contends that in the present case, the Forest Range Officer along with his team had arrived at the site of an illegal mining on getting the secret information and the certain vehicles, which were being used for illegal mining activities were found abandoned at the spot. Since, the illegal mining was being conducted without necessary permission, the FIR was registered in the present case. Learned counsel for the petitioner contends that the allegations levelled by the complainant of illegal mining were be