291 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Reserved on: 07.08.2025 Pronounced on: 26.08.2025 KRISHAN SINGH @ DEEPU ...PETITIONER VERSUS STATE OF PUNJAB …RESPONDENT CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ANOOP CHITKARA Present: Mr. Kartik Gandhi, Advocate for the petitioner.

Ms. Pooja Nayar Sharma, DAG, Punjab.

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ANOOP CHITKARA, J.

FIR No. Dated Police Station Sections

141 23.06.2024 City Jagraon, District 489-A/489-B/489-C/489-

Ludhiana Rural D of IPC

1. The petitioner incarcerated in the FIR captioned above had come up before this Court under Section 483 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, [BNSS], seeking regular bail. 2. In paragraph 8 of the bail petition and the reply, the petitioner declares that he has no criminal antecedents.

3. The facts and allegations are being taken from the reply filed by the State, which reads as follows:

“That the brief facts of the case are that on 23-06-2024, police party headed by HC Balwinder Singh of PS City, Jagraon was present at Rani Jhansi Chowk, Jagraon in connection with patrolling and in search of suspected persons and vehicles. HC Balwinder Singh received secret information that Manpreet Singh son of Dulla Singh resident of Village Kot Bhai, Kothe Mana Wala Dhanian, Tehsil Gidderbaha along with Sunny son of Kartar Singh resident of village Sahib Chand and Deepu (petitioner) s/o unknown r/o village Sahib Chand used to prepare counterfeit currency notes and sell or circulate the same. Today they are coming in Car No. DL-04-CKH-6559 make Honda City from the side of Mullanpur towards Raikot via Aligarh Road with counterfeit currency notes and for selling the same. If nakabandi is conducted on Aligarh road near Kothe Khanjuran, Jagraon, then they can be apprehended with counterfeit currency notes and material used for preparing counterfeit currency notes. The information was found reliable. So HC Balwinder Singh sent ruqa to the police station and got registered FIR No. 141 Renu Bala

2025.08.26 16:35 dated 23-06-2024 u/s 489-A/489-B/489-C/489-D in PS City, Jagraon against petitioner Deepu and co-cused Manpreet Singh and Sunny.

3. That then the police party conducted nakabandi on Aaligarh road in the area of village Kothe Khanjuran. After some time one car No. DL-04-CKH-6559 was seen coming from the side of Aaligarh road. One person was driving the car and two more persons were sitting in the car. On seeing the nakabandi of the police party, the driver of the car stopped the car at some distance from the nakabandi. The two persons, who were sitting in the car, managed to escape from the car due to darkness. But the police party apprehended the driver of the car. On enquiry the driver of the car told his name as Manpreet Singh son of Dulla Singh. He told the names of those persons who managed to escape as Sunny and Deepu (petitioner). 4. That on search of the car, one envelope was recovered from gear box near driver seat. On search of the envelope counterfeit currency notes were recovered from that envelope. On counting, these notes were of 109 notes of the denomination of Rs. 100/- each i.e. total amount of Rs. 10,900/-, 2 notes of Rs. 200 each i.e. Rs. 400/- 10 notes of Rs. 500/- each i.e. total Rs. 5,000/-. So total counterfeit currency notes of Rs. 16,300/- were recovered. One printer make EPSON was also recovered from the car. One parcel of currency notes was prepared and it was sealed by the I.O. with his seal BS. The parcel, printer and car were taken into possession by the I.O. The accused Manpreet Singh was arrested in this case by the I.O.”

4. The petitioner's counsel prays for bail by imposing any stringent conditions and contends that further pre-trial incarceration would cause an irreversible injustice to the petitioner and their family. He further submits that the co-accused, namely, Manpreet Singh has already been granted bail vide order dated 07.03.2025 passed in CRM-M-54875-2024 by this Court.

5. The State’s counsel opposes bail and refers to the reply.

6. It would be appr