Current Events :
All State Police Forces are same . Any one who hoped that Chandigarh Police would do justice to Col Pushpinder Singh Bath and his family were mistaken .
Col Bath’s family approached P & H High Court to day ( 14 Jul ) stating that in last three and half months Chandigarh Police has not done a wee bit . Accused Punjab Police Officials have neither been arrested nor summoned .
Once High Court Judges asked Chandigarh Police Lawyer to tell as to what has been done in three and half months , lawyer tried to beat around the bush , the Court came heavy as to why accused have NOT been arrested so far .
Court has directed Chandigarh Police SP Manjit Sheoran,IPS , who is heading the Inquiry to appear personally along with his team on 16 Jul and explain as to why accused have NOT been arrested so far and as to why the Enquiry should not be handed over to CBI.
Read more: https://lawtrend.in/punjab-haryana-high-court-seeks-report-from-chandigarh-police-on-assault-probe-involving-colonel-bath-questions-delay/
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday directed Chandigarh Police to submit a report on the progress of its investigation into the alleged assault
he Punjab & Haryana High Court today summoned the Special Investigation Team (SIT)’s head of Chandigarh Police, constituted to investigate the case wherein a Colonel was allegedly brutally assaulted by the Punjab Police in March. The plea was filed seeking the transfer of the probe to the CBI, alleging failure to conduct a fair investigation. Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath, who was posted at the Army headquarters in New Delhi, alleged that on the night of March 13, four Inspector-rank officers of Punjab Police and their armed subordinates attacked him and his son without any provocation in Punjab. Also Read – Explore Alternative Site For Construction Of New HC Building: Punjab & Haryana High Court Tells UT Administration Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj issued notice to the UT Chandigarh and adjourned the case to July 16. In April, the High Court had directed the Chandigarh Police to investigate the Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath assault case and complete the probe within four months. The Court, while hearing the previous pleas, had pulled up the Punjab Government for delay in arresting the Punjab Police Personnel allegedly involved in the assault of an Army Officer. Also Read – Mere Silence Of Accused During Investigation Doesn’t Amount To Non-Cooperation: Punjab & Haryana High Court Later, the Court ordered that the investigation be led by an IPS officer from the AGMUT cadre, ensuring no officer from the Punjab cadre is involved. Recently, the High Court, calling it a “horrific, gut-wrenching incident”, rejected the pre-arrest bail of Punjab Police Personnel accused in the case. During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel stated that despite the dismissal of the accused’s anticipatory bail petition on May 23rd, no effort had been made to arrest the accused or progress the investigation. The counsel alleged that the UT police seemed to be protecting the accused, who are police officials, and that senior police officials might be involved. Also Read – Salary Knowingly Received Beyond Entitlement Can Be Recovered From Employee: Punjab & Haryana High Court The UT counsel informed the court that a coordinate bench had granted them four months to complete the investigation, which would expire in the first week of August. However, the bench expressed displeasure with the lack of progress in the investigation and directed the UT counsel to file the police file. While adjourning the case, the Court directed the SIT head to remain present in the Court with police files. Title: Colonel Pushpendra Bath v UT Chandigarh
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday sought a report on the investigation by Chandigarh Police into the alleged assault on Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath over a parking dispute outside a dhaba in Patiala by Punjab Police personnel on the night of March 13.
The high court bench of justice Rajesh Bhardwaj acted on the plea from Col Bath, who has filed a fresh petition alleging “reticence and reluctance” to impartially investigate the FIR by the Chandigarh Police special investigation team (SIT) and has demanded that probe be withdrawn from the present SIT and entrusted to either senior officers of Chandigarh Police or the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Col Bath and his son were allegedly assaulted by four police inspectors and their armed subordinates when they were at a roadside eatery near Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. His family said the duo was standing outside their car and having food when the policemen in civvies approached them and asked the colonel to move his vehicle so that they could park theirs. When the colonel objected to their rude tone, one of the police officers punched him, and soon the other policemen started thrashing him and his son. The colonel’s arm was broken, and his son suffered a cut on his head. The case was handed over to Chandigarh Police by the high court on April 3, acting on the plea from the Colonel
The plea levels allegations against the present SIT and questions the manner it is proceeding. It alleges the petitioner was summoned multiple times but accused only once. It said the digital video recorder (DVR) of the dhaba adjoining Harbans Dhaba, where the incident had taken place, which too had captured the complete incident, has gone missing; but till date no serious attempt has been made by the investigating agency to retrieve the same.
“It is being stated with utmost disappointment that even despite lapse of more than three-and-a-half months of the registration of the FIR and lapse of three months since the probe has been handed over to Chandigarh Police, neither a single accused has been arrested so far, nor any accused has been associated with the investigation,” the plea said, adding the contention of the petitioner regarding any conscious effort on the part of the investigating agency can be cemented from the fact that no non-bailable warrant, no PO or any other legal proceeding which would be indicative of some conscious and sincere effort, has been initiated on the part of the investigating agency.
“A strong order has been passed by the high court and police have been questioned over the delay. The SIT has been asked to file a report on July 16,” the family said in a public statement.
The detailed order of the proceedings is awaited.
The matter will be taken up on Wednesday when Chandigarh Police and the Punjab government have been told to respond to the issues raised by Col Bath.
ustice Bhardwaj observed that the apparent reluctance of the Union Territory Police to take effective action “defeats the very purpose” of the case having been transferred for impartial inquiry. (Source: File)
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Chandigarh Police for failing to arrest any of the accused Punjab Police personnel in the March 13 assault on a serving Indian Army officer, despite anticipatory bail having been denied nearly two months ago.
Hearing a fresh petition filed by the victim, Colonel P S Bath, Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj asked, “Why have the accused not been arrested even now?” Terming the delay intentional, the judge observed that the conduct of the police was “setting the wrong example” and amounted to protecting the accused.
The court directed Manjeet Sheoran, Superintendent of Police, Chandigarh, to be present in person on July 16 with a detailed explanation for the continued inaction, despite the investigation having been handed over to the Chandigarh Police by a previous court order more than four months ago.
The assault and its aftermath
Col Bath, currently serving as Deputy Secretary at the Cabinet Secretariat in New Delhi, was allegedly assaulted along with his son by a group of Punjab Police officials near a dhaba on the Patiala-Samana Road on the night of March 13-14. The officer claimed he was left in a semi-conscious state, and despite multiple calls by his wife and brother-in-law to the local police and then Patiala SSP Dr Nanak Singh, no First Information Report (FIR) was initially registered.
It was only after intervention from the Governor of Punjab that an FIR (No. 69 dated March 22, 2025) was finally registered at Civil Lines Police Station, Patiala, under several serious provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. However, the officer alleged that another FIR (No. 65 dated March 15) had already been registered on the statement of the dhaba owner, possibly to pre-empt the complaint.
Following concerns about bias and procedural lapses, Col Bath had moved the high court, which on April 2 directed the transfer of the investigation to an IPS officer of the Chandigarh Police not belonging to the Punjab cadre. This came after the court expressed dissatisfaction with the initial handling of the case and the delay in FIR registration.
Despite that, the petitioner told the court on Monday, no arrests have been made, and none of the accused officials have even been associated with the investigation. The petition also highlighted that one of the key accused, Inspector Ronnie Singh, had his anticipatory bail plea dismissed on May 23, yet no coercive action had followed.
Accusations of bias and pressure
The petition accused Chandigarh Police officers of deliberately shielding the accused under pressure from senior Punjab Police officials. It claimed that efforts were being made to dilute the case and possibly drop the non-bailable offences to enable bail. “Even now, all the accused roam free in Patiala, influencing witnesses and posing a threat to the petitioner’s family,” the plea stated.
It also raised concerns about the manipulation of medical records to create a false narrative. The petitioner alleged that the medico-legal reports (MLRs) of the accused police officials showed signs of overwriting, possibly fabricated to cover up the attack. He said these documents had not been sent for forensic examination, and the doctor concerned had not been questioned.
Fake DDR, harassment, and witness intimidation
The petition went on to allege that a fake Daily Diary Report (DDR No. 58 dated March 13) was entered at PS City, Samana, to create an alibi for one of the accused, and that one Chandigarh Police officer, Inspector Gian Singh, who is part of the investigation team, has repeatedly intimidated the complainant and his son, treating them like the accused instead of victims.
The petition also pointed out that Col Bath had been summoned several times by the police, despite being the victim, while the accused officers had only been summoned once – and no further action had followed.
Link to fake encounter?
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The petition alleged that all the accused in the assault case are also named in a separate petition pending before the high court regarding a suspected fake encounter that allegedly occurred just hours before the assault on Col Bath. This, the petitioner argued, explained the Punjab Police’s interest in shielding the accused, who may otherwise face serious criminal proceedings in both cases.
Justice Bhardwaj observed that the apparent reluctance of the Union Territory Police to take effective action “defeats the very purpose” of the case having been transferred for impartial inquiry. He directed that SP Manjeet Sheoran be present in court on July 16 with a personal affidavit explaining the failure to arrest the accused.
Describing the delay as intentional, Justice Bhardwaj asserted the conduct of the police amounted to “setting the wrong example” and protecting the accused
More than three months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court entrusted the investigation of Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bath assault case to the Chandigarh Police, the Bench today directed the superintendent of police heading the special investigation team to be present in the court on the Army officer’s plea. The officer was seeking an independent probe into the matter, preferably by the Central Bureau of Investigation, on the ground as the Chandigarh Police had failed to conduct a “fair and free investigation”.
The direction came as Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj admonished the Chandigarh Police for its failure to arrest any of the accused Punjab Police personnel. Describing the delay as intentional, Justice Bhardwaj asserted the conduct of the police amounted to “setting the wrong example” and protecting the accused.
In his petition, Col Bath asserted the investigation of the instant case was transferred to the Chandigarh Police on April 2. “It is being stated with utmost disappointment that even despite lapse of more than three and a half months of the registration of the FIR and lapse of three months since the investigation has been handed over to the Chandigarh Police, neither a single accused has been arrested so far, nor any has been associated with the investigation.”
The petitioner added that conscious effort on the investigating agency’s part can be cemented from the fact that no non-bailable warrant, no PO proceeding or any other legal proceeding which would be indicative of some conscious and sincere effort, has been initiated on the part of the investigating agency concerned.
Bath further contended that when the bail application of one of the accused, Ronnie Singh, came up for hearing, the high court specifically questioned the investigating officer whether the Chandigarh Police would arrest the accused police official if anticipatory bail was dismissed. “The answer was in affirmative but as worrisome and disappointing as it can be, no such arrest has been made till date,” he asserted.
Bath alleged that the facts clearly pointed towards pressure being exerted upon the Chandigarh Police by the “top brass of the Punjab Polic
The State Police are same all over . Let’s see what that SP of Chandigarh Police says in Court to marrow. . How will he justify his inaction of 3 and half months of neither arresting nor summoning the accused Punjab Police Personnel .
