Chandigarh, January 5: A Chandigarh-based CBI court on Monday granted default bail to suspended Punjab Police DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar in a disproportionate assets case, citing the agency’s failure to file a chargesheet within the prescribed 60-day period.
Despite the relief, Bhullar will continue to remain in judicial custody, as his bail plea in a related corruption case was dismissed by the court last week.
Opposing the application, CBI public prosecutor Narender Singh argued against granting bail, but the court ruled in favour of Bhullar on statutory grounds.
The disproportionate assets case was registered on October 29, shortly after Bhullar’s arrest in a corruption matter involving alleged bribery demands.
Bhullar and Kirshanu Sharda were taken into custody on October 16, 2025, following a complaint from a scrap dealer in Mandi Gobindgarh. The CBI has alleged that Bhullar sought illegal payments from the complainant through Sharda.
According to the agency, searches carried out at various premises linked to Bhullar led to the recovery of cash, precious jewellery, several luxury watches, and documents related to properties.
Bhullar had previously argued that the period for filing the chargesheet should be counted from the registration of the first FIR, claiming the second case arose from the same set of allegations. The CBI, however, did not accept this contention.
Further proceedings in the matter are awaited, with investigations continuing in both cases.
