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Bhullar case: Mobile data reveals Krishanu was in touch with officers: CBI
This is the first custody taken by the CBI in the case as the prosecuting agency did not plead for Bhullar’s custody (currently in judicial custody) when he was first produced in the court following his arrest.
The court of CBI special judge Bhawna Jain on Wednesday granted nine-day police custody of the co-accused, Krishanu Sharda, in the ₹8-lakh corruption case involving Ropar range DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar. The accused, who acted as a middleman as per the CBI, will now be produced before the court on November 6.
This is the first custody taken by the CBI in the case as the prosecuting agency did not plead for Bhullar’s custody (currently in judicial custody) when he was first produced in the court following his arrest.
The CBI special judge said in the order granting custody that the CBI has laid hand on some material evidence such as 100 GB mobile data in the phone of accused Krishanu, apart from a diary from his residence, thereby suggesting of continuing pattern of facilitation and collection of illegal gratification by Krishanu in exchange of official favour(s) payment details and references, pointing towards vital dimensions of the conspiracy.
“The interrogation of accused Krishanu appears to be necessary for fair and effective investigation of the case in hand to confront him with the extracted data of his mobile phone, apart from the entries in the diary allegedly recovered from his residence,” said the court.
The CBI had stated that preliminary examination of the extracted data has revealed extensive communication between the accused and various public servants as well as private individuals, suggesting thereby a continuing pattern of facilitation and collection of illegal gratification in exchange of official favours.
Keeping in view the circumstances of the case, the application seeking police custody of the accused by the CBI cannot be assumed to be a malafide one and Kirshanu is liable to be interrogated while shifting his custody from judicial to that of police, added the court.
“It is stated by the public prosecutor for the CBI that the mobile data of 100 GB has been recovered from the mobile phone of accused Kirshanu. In view of the huge data allegedly recovered from the mobile phone of accused, his police remand for nine days is granted, as his confrontation with above said data and the entries made in the diary is necessary to carry out a fair and effective investigation, to trace out the trail of bribe money and identify the ultimate beneficiary etc., if any,” said the court.
Earlier, while seeking 12 days police custody of Krishanu, the CBI urged that during the course of investigation, the mobile phone of the accused was seized and its forensic digital image was created in accordance with prescribed legal procedure. The above said digital findings prima facie indicate that the accused has been operating as a conduit in corrupt transactions involving other public servants also.
It was further urged that a diary has been recovered from the residence of accused Krishanu containing entries, thereby reflecting suspected payment details and references pointing towards vital dimensions of the conspiracy. As such, his custodial interrogation for 12 days has been sought for a fair, complete and effective investigation to trace the flow of bribe money and identify the ultimate beneficiaries, to recover the concealed or other undisclosed digital and documentary evidence from his possession or at the locations demarcated by him during his interrogation, to confront him with digital data extracted from his mobile and other electronic devices and to identify the other public servants and private individuals in the similar transaction, if any.
Bhullar continues to be in judicial custody and will now be produced before the court on October 31.
Court allows Bhullar’s plea for CCTV footage
The CBI court on Wednesday allowed the application filed by defence counsel advocate Jarnail Singh for preservation of CCTV footage of the office of the DIG, Ropar Range, Harcharan Singh. “Since the CCTV footage of the office of the DIG, Ropar Range, DC Complex, Mohali, including the footage of the floor, corridor, the said office and of the entire DC Complex, Mohali, of October 16, 2025, is required to the accused applicant for his defence as pleaded in the application, the application is allowed and the CBI is directed to keep preserved the CCTV footage as per law under intimation to this court, to get produced at a later stage, if required,” said the court.
