Overview
- India’s Supreme Court on Friday declined bail to Harcharan Singh Bhullar in the CBI corruption case and said he may return to the High Court if the trial has not begun within two months.
- A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant left intact earlier refusals, upholding the High Court’s February 16 decision that followed a trial court’s January 2 denial.
- The CBI arrested the 2009-batch officer on October 16, 2025 after a complaint and a trap in Chandigarh in which an alleged middleman was caught collecting part of a bribe to resolve a police case.
- Investigators say searches later found about ₹7–7.5 crore in cash along with jewellery, luxury watches, high-end vehicles and documents for extensive real estate, and Bhullar has remained in Model Jail, Chandigarh since his arrest.
- Courts have noted recorded conversations, WhatsApp data and the trap proceedings as early evidence of a bribe demand, and the Union Home Ministry’s January 23 sanction allows prosecution to proceed as a separate assets case continues on bail.