A local court on Wednesday dismissed the bail application of former Punjab minister Laljit Bhullar, who is facing charges in connection with the alleged abetment of the suicide of Punjab Warehousing Corporation district manager Dr Gagandeep Singh Randhawa.
The bail plea, filed on July 6, was rejected by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanjeev Kundi after hearing arguments from both sides.
During the hearing, counsel representing Randhawa’s family argued that Bhullar wielded considerable political influence and could potentially influence witnesses or interfere with the trial if granted bail.
Appearing for the complainant’s family, advocate Satnam Singh submitted that Bhullar had allegedly received VIP treatment after his arrest and had destroyed crucial evidence before being taken into custody. He further contended that the police had failed to recover any incriminating material from the former minister and had yet to arrest two other accused — Bhullar’s father, Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, and his former private assistant, Dilbagh Singh.
The victim’s family has also approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a CBI probe into the case. The petition is scheduled to come up for hearing on Thursday.
Randhawa, 45, died by suicide at his residence in Amritsar on March 21. Before his death, he recorded a 12-second video on his mobile phone in which he named Bhullar, triggering a political controversy and prompting the Opposition to demand legal action against the then minister. Bhullar resigned from the Cabinet later that day.
An FIR was registered on March 22 at the Ranjit Avenue police station against Bhullar, his father Sukhdev Singh Bhullar, his private assistant Dilbagh Singh, and others based on a complaint filed by Randhawa’s wife, Upinder Kaur. The accused were booked on charges of abetment of suicide, criminal intimidation, and acting with common intention. Later, the police also added charges related to the destruction of evidence.
In her complaint, Upinder Kaur alleged that her husband had been repeatedly pressured to bypass the official bidding process and award warehousing contracts to Bhullar’s father. She further alleged that Randhawa was summoned to Bhullar’s residence in Patti on March 13, where he was humiliated and assaulted.
Bhullar was arrested in Mandi Gobindgarh on March 23. The police filed the chargesheet before the court on May 21.
In the 500-page chargesheet, the prosecution cited 53 witnesses and two video recordings, including Randhawa’s alleged dying declaration naming Bhullar after he had consumed Celphos tablets, as key pieces of evidence in the case.