In a major development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday denied to quash the FIR filed against Pratap Singh Bajwa by Punjab Police. Leader of Opposition and Senior Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa has been booked by Punjab Police after he claimed that 50 grenades have entered the state out of which 18 have been used and 32 are yet to be detonated. Punjab CM Mann had asked Pratap Singh Bajwa to reveal his source as neither Central agencies are aware about it nor Punjab Police. However, Bajwa refused to reveal his source despite the FIR and even during questioning when he appeared before Mohali Cyber Police Station after he was summoned.
What happened in the High Court?
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused to quash the FIR filed against Pratap Singh Bajwa, directing police to continue their investigation. The court, however, has granted interim relief by staying his arrest until April 22 and has issued a notice to the state government.
Furthermore, the court instructed Bajwa to cooperate fully with the police investigation and attend questioning whenever summoned. It also imposed a gag order, barring Bajwa from making any public statements on the matter until April 22.
For the unversed, sources revealed that Pratap Bajwa did not cooperate with the Punjab Police during the questioning. Hence, police officials are consulting with the Advocate General’s office on what action should be taken against Bajwa. It has been confirmed that the Punjab Police is tightening its grip on Bajwa. Sources revealed that during extended questioning, Pratap Singh Bajwa refused to disclose any information regarding the 32 bombs and denied knowledge of how the information about these unexploded bombs in Punjab reached him. It is also reported that Bajwa refused to share the source of this information, whether it came from the Punjab Police or the Central Forces.