IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH

157 CRM-M-10780-2026 (O & M)

Date of decision: 30.03.2026 CHIRAG LAKHOTRA ...Petitioner Versus STATE OF PUNJAB ...Respondent CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE AMAN CHAUDHARY Present : Mr. A.D.S.Sukhija, Sr. Advocate with Mr. Karanvir Singh, Advocate, for the petitioner.

Mr. Manipal Singh Atwal, DAG, Punjab.

AMAN CHAUDHARY, J. (ORAL)

1. The present petition has been filed under Section 482 BNSS, 2023, for grant of anticipatory bail to the petitioner in FIR No.4 dated 22.01.2026, under Sections 7, 7A of P.C. Act 1988 as amended by P.C. (Amendment) Act 2018 and 308 (2) 336 (2), 336 (3), 337, 338, 339, 340, 61(2) of BNS, 2023 (384, 465, 468, 466, 467, 474, 470, 471, 120-B of IPC), registered at P.S. Vigilance Bureau, Jalandhar.

2. Learned Senior Counsel submits that the petitioner was working as a Block Officer and the amount of Rs.1,10,000/- paid, was by way of a penalty deposited by Mohammad Salim, who had submitted the complaint online. Infact, the said person has given an affidavit on 22.07.2025, Annexure P-2, that he does not want to pursue the same. Moreover, no amount was received in the account of the petitioner, and thus, prays that he be granted anticipatory bail .

3. Learned S tate counsel vehemently opposes by submitting that the petitioner was very much part of the raid that was conducted o n the intervening night of 28/29.06.2025, at around 2.00 to 3.00 a.m. and was aware that as p er the schedule dated 18.01.2025, the penalty amount in case of mining, for which Mohammad Salim and others were apprehended, alongwith vehicles, for i llegal mining, was Rs.4,10,400/-. However to let them off, the deal was s ettled for Rs.1,50,000/- as bribe, out of which Rs.45,000/- was paid in cash to co-accused Shamsher Singh (daily wager), working as Guard on 29.06.2026, Rs.25,000/- through UPI to the tea vendor of the office and Rs.40,000/- to the said vendor on 30.06.2025, which was withdrawn by him on the same date. He has also relied on the screen shot of the message ‘Paise na farhi’ followed by the word ‘Hale’ (not to accept the money now), Annexure R-1, sent by the petitioner to above co-accused, which according to him was the balance amount of Rs.20,000/- out of t he settled amount, but by then the complaint was filed by Mohammad Salim and petitioner knew he would be apprehended. Further that, recovery of JCB machine and motor-cycle was subsequently mentioned in the damage report, Annexure P-3, appears as though to have been made using a different pen and ink. The tower location record of the petitioner, Annexure P-3, has also been relied to show that he was present at the spot, when the vehicles were seized and illegal mining was found to have taken place. Further reference is made to Annexure R-4, the application submitted by Mohammad Salim to deposit the amount, which does not bear his signatures. He, thus, states that a thorough investigation needs to be conducted; there also i s an apprehension that he can tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses and his custodial interrogation is required.

4. Heard.

5. It would be apposite to refer to relevant paras of the status report filed by way of an affidavit of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Bureau Unit, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar dated 26.03.2026, which read thus:

“BRIEF FACTS OF THE CASE:

4. That in compliance of the aforesaid order dated 24.02.2026, the deponent humbly submits that the brief facts of the present case are that the complainant-Mohamad Salim son of Naseerudin, resident of Village & Post Office Shekhupur, Tehsil Nawanshahr, District SBS Nagar, submitted a complaint bearing No.153141 dated 01.07.2025 on the Anti-Corruption Action Line alleging therein that on the intervening night of 28/29.06.2025 at about 02:00 A.M., officials of the Forest Department impounded his tipper, J.C.B. machine, motorcycle and two mobile phones on the allegation of illegal mining on land belonging to the Forest Department. It was fu