IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Pargat Singh ...Petitioner Versus State of Punjab ...Respondent Sr. No. Particulars Details 1 The date when the judgment is reserved 25.03.2026 2 The date when the judgment is pronounced 30.03.2026 3 The date when the judgment is uploaded on the website 30.03.2026 Whether only operative part of the judgment is pronounced or full

4 Full judgment is pronounced The delay, if any, of the pronouncement of full judgment, and Not

5 reasons thereof applicable CORAM: HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MANISHA BATRA Present: Ms. Samina Dhir, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Roshandeep Singh, Assistant Advocate General, Punjab.

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MANISHA BATRA, J :-

The present petition has been filed under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short ‘BNSS’) by the petitioner seeking grant of regular bail in case bearing FIR No. 99 dated 12.06.2023 registered under Sections 302, 325, 120-B, 148 and 149 of IPC at Police Station Makhu, District Ferozepur.

2. The aforementioned FIR was registered on the basis of statement recorded by the complainant Krishna Rani alleging therein that on the night of 11.06.2023, she along with her husband Jaswinder Singh was sleeping inside a room of her house when at about 11:00 PM, 6-7 persons with muffled faces reached outside her house being armed with datar, sticks and sottas. One of them made an exhortation that the complainant and her husband should be taught a lesson for giving information regarding having illicit liquor with Bhupender Singh and getting the recovery of the same effected by the police and his arrest. They then entered inside her house, dragged her husband from his bed and assaulted him by giving injuries with the respective weapons which they were having. She raised alarm and rushed for rescue of her husband but she too sustained injuries at the hands of the assailants. On clamour being raised, her brother-in-law Balwinder rushed for their rescue and then the assailants fled on a car and motor bike which they had brought along with them.

3. As per the further allegations, Bhupender Singh, a co-villager had been avoiding return of money taken from her husband and had been arrested on being found in conscious possession of illicit liquor. While suspecting that her husband had a hand in his arrest, had got opened an assault upon him. The victim Jaswinder died on the same intervening night.

4. After registration of FIR, investigation proceedings were initiated. The accused Bhupender Singh @ Baldev Singh, who was in custody in some other case, was joined into investigation of this case on 13.06.2023 and was arrested. He suffered disclosure statement to the effect that since the victim had given a secret information to the police regarding his indulgence in selling illicit liquor, hence he had asked his brother Pargat Singh, i.e. the present petitioner, nephew Gurjant Singh and Dimanshu Thakur to eliminate the victim. On his disclosure statement, the petitioner and above named Dimanshu Thakur and Gurjant Singh were nominated as additional accused. The petitioner and Dimanshu Thakur were arrested on 16.06.2023. The petitioner suffered disclosure statement admitting his involvement in commission of offence of murder of the victim and took the names of the remaining assailants Ajay, Lovepreet Singh @ Love @ Manpreet Singh, Prince and Dilbag Singh, who too were nominated as accused. The car used by the petitioner at the time of commission of subject offence was also recovered. Subsequently, other accused were also arrested. Investigation now stands concluded.

5. It is argued by learned counsel for the petitioner that he has been falsely implicated in this case on the basis of disclosure statement of co- accused Bhupender Singh @ Baldev which cannot be considered to be admissible in evidence. He was not named in the FIR. The material witnesses now stand examined. However, the trial will still take considerable time to conclude as only 08 out of 22 witnes