Amritsar: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on 20th of March 2025 provided interim relief to Bhai Dharam Singh, aged 66, by staying his arrest until the next hearing in a case linked to an alleged conspiracy.

Bhai Dharam Singh is a companion of Bhai Narien Singh Chaura who was arrested on 4 December 2024 for allegedly taking an attempt on Sukhbir Singh Badal at Amritsar.

As per documents shared with the Sikh Siaysat News (SSN) by Advocate Jaspal Singh Manjhpur of Panjaab Lawyers, the decision came during the hearing of an anticipatory bail petition filed under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which corresponds to the earlier Section 438 of the Cr.P.C.

Bhai Dharam Singh is named in FIR No. 134, registered on December 4, 2024, at E Division Police Station in Amritsar.

During the proceedings, Mr. Amandeep Singh, Deputy Advocate General (DAG) for Punjab, representing the State, argued that prosecution evidence, including CCTV footage, points to a coordinated plan between Dharam Singh and Narien Singh. The State counsel claimed their prior acquaintance, noting that both were co-accused in a 2013 case (FIR No. 14, dated March 7, 2013, under Sections 212 and 216 of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act) at Vairowal Police Station in Tarn Taran. Although both were acquitted in that matter, the prosecution contends that their history and the current visual evidence strengthen the case against Dharam Singh.

In rebuttal, Mr. Balbir Singh Sewak, counsel for the petitioner, challenged the completeness of the CCTV footage presented by the State. He argued that a thorough review of the full footage would reveal interactions between Narien Singh and key individuals—SP Harpal Singh and Harjinder Singh Dhami—on the day of the incident, potentially weakening the prosecution’s claims against his client.

Justice Sanjay Vashisth, presiding over the case, directed the State of Punjab to submit a detailed status report in the form of an affidavit by a responsible officer. The report is expected to address the petitioner’s claims after a comprehensive review of the CCTV footage. The court adjourned the matter to April 5, 2025, and ordered that Dharam Singh’s arrest remain stayed until the next hearing. However, the judge clarified that the question of Singh joining the investigation would be considered at the subsequent hearing, pending the State’s response.