Chandigarh: CBI court reviews defence pleas; CCTV preservation report filed in bribery case

A compliance report from the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Mohali, concerning the preservation of CCTV footage was submitted through a representative of the DC office. The report, 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.

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

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.

The special CBI court in Chandigarh took up a series of procedural matters in the bribery case, with both accused produced before it via video conferencing and hearings scheduled for later in the week.

Digital data provided to the accused in April 2026 requires scrutiny by the defence. Time was granted for examination of the material before the next hearing.

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