Chandigarh: CBI court reviews defence pleas, CCTV preservation report filed in

A special CBI court in Chandigarh on Monday took up a series of procedural matters in the bribery case involving accused IPS officer Harcharan Singh Bhullar and co-accused Kirshanu Sharda, with hearings now scheduled later this week.

Bhullar, a 2009-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and former DIG (Ropar range), was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 16, 2025, after a scrap dealer alleged the senior police official, through a middleman, Kirshanu, demanded the bribe money to settle an FIR registered at Sirhind police station. According to ED findings, substantial cash deposits and bank transfers were routed through accounts of property dealers and associated persons with no commensurate income.

In a recent development, both accused were produced before the court via video conferencing and continue to remain in judicial custody. The proceedings were largely centred on applications filed by the defence seeking access to documents and clarity on evidence collected during the investigation.

Bhullar moved an application seeking supply of “unrelied” documents — materials gathered by the investigating agency but not relied upon in the prosecution’s case. The court registered the plea as an interlocutory application and directed the CBI to file its response on the next date of hearing.

Co-accused Kirshanu Sharda filed a separate application requesting minimum details of certain documents listed among the “unrelied” records already supplied to the defence. This application was also taken on record, with the court asking the CBI to respond.

The court further noted that digital data provided to the accused in April requires scrutiny by the defence. Time was granted for examination of the material before the next hearing.

A significant development during the proceedings was the submission of a compliance report by the office of the deputy commissioner, Mohali, concerning the preservation of CCTV footage. The report, submitted through a representative of the DC office and based on inputs from the PWD (B&R) electrical branch, Chandigarh, confirmed compliance with earlier court directions to secure the footage. The court had previously flagged delays in filing this report and issued a reminder to the authorities.