IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of decision: 08.09.2025 Tarsem Singh @ Jaggi Singh ....Petitioner V/s State of Punjab ....Respondent CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE SUMEET GOEL Present: Ms. Neha Shukla, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Gurpartap S. Bhullar, AAG Punjab.

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SUMEET GOEL, J. (Oral)

1. Present petition has been filed on behalf of the petitioner seeking grant of anticipatory/pre-arrest bail under Sections 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (hereinafter to be referred as ‘BNSS’) in FIR No.0197 dated 17.08.2025 registered for offences punishable under Sections 308(2), 61(2) and 351(3) of the BNS, 2023 at Police Station Bhawanigarh, District Sangrur.

2. The gravamen of the FIR pertains to an incident which arises from the complaint of Sarabjit Singh @ Bittu, son of Gurcharan Singh, resident of village Balial, PS Bhawanigarh, District Sangrur, who alleged that his trucks are operated through Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Truck Union, Bhawanigarh. On the alleged day of occurrence, one of his truck bearing registration No. PB-13AM-8484, engaged under Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Truck Union, Bhawanigarh, was stopped and its registration was deleted from the Union by its President namely Jatinder Singh @ Vicky and committee members namely Binder Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Jaggi (petitioner herein). It was further alleged that when truck driver of the complainant had gone, after loading the goods of Pepsi company from Pepsi warehouse, Banur to Khorda, District Cuttak Odisha, he received instructions from the Munshi of Truck Union namely Hardeep Singh to return the vehicle as he had loaded other goods in the truck. When the complainant sought clarification from the President and Committee members of the Truck Union, he was instead threatened. Thereafter, the President and others members, in connivance with each other, stopped the transportation of goods of the complainant and forced the complainant to pay Rs.41,000/- (Rs.21,000/- directly to the President in presence of the Sarpanch) for operating the truck. Furthermore, on 02.07.2025 the truck of the complainant had gone to Pune and Rs.1,32,000/- was received as freight charges but the complainant was given a cheque of Rs.1,12,000/- only and Rs. 20,000/- was unlawfully deducted. The complainant alleged that the President and the Union members routinely extort money from the truck owners through threats and he apprehends dangers to his life and property. Based on these set of allegations, the instant FIR was registered and investigation ensued.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioner has iterated that the allegations in the present FIR are vague, general in nature and without any specific role attributed to the petitioner. Learned counsel has further iterated that the complainant himself has alleged that the money was taken by co- accused Jatinder Singh @ Vicky Bajwa (President of the Union) in the presence of his father and the Sarpach whereas no direct allegation of extortion, receipt of money or threat has been made against the petitioner. According to learned counsel, the petitioner was only a Committee member of the Union with no prominent role in its internal functioning and has been falsely implicated due to factional rivalry with the Union as the complainant was an ex-President having political and personal grudge against the present President. It is further submitted that a bare perusal of the FIR itself reveals that the allegations therein are vague and unsubstantiated having been levelled merely for the sake of making allegations without disclosing the commission of any cognizable offence by the petitioner. Learned counsel further asserts that nothing is to be recovered from the possession of the petitioner and, thus, his custodial interrogation is neither warranted nor justified. It is next submitted by the learned counsel that the petitioner is ready to join the investigation and hence no useful purpose would be served by sending him behind the b