HC grants bail to man accused of spying for ‘Punjabi Kuri’ in Karachi

Patiala: The Punjab and Haryana high court has granted regular bail to a Patiala resident, who was accused of passing sensitive information to a suspected Pakistani operative, after noting that the prosecution could not point to specific material showing the accused transmitted confidential or sensitive information.The accused had been in custody for nearly eight months in connection with an FIR registered at police station Bhadson in district Patiala on July 29, 2025.The prosecution's case rested on "secret information" that the accused was in constant contact with a female individual using the social media handle ‘Punjabi Kuri'. Investigations found that the Facebook profile linked to the ID was traced to Karachi, Pakistan.The authorities alleged that the accused used his phone to transmit sensitive and "secret information" to the individual, potentially compromising national interests.The accused was charged under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.The counsel for the petitioner argued that the accused had been "falsely implicated" and that mere communication with someone in a neighbouring country did not automatically amount to transmitting sensitive data.During the proceedings, the investigating officer present in court admitted that they were unable to point to any specific material on record proving that the accused had actually transmitted confidential or sensitive information.Justice H S Grewal observed: "Mere presumption or suspicion raised by the prosecution regarding transmission of secret information... does not, at this stage, substantiate the commission of the alleged offence."The court noted that the investigation had reached the stage where the "challan" had been presented, but the trial was likely to take a considerable amount of time. It held that continued detention would "not serve the ends of justice" and ordered the accused's release on regular bail, subject to furnishing the requisite bail and surety bonds.The case was processed under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, specifically Section 483, which replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure.At the bail stage, the prosecution cited "secret information", but did not produce forensic digital evidence such as intercepted logs or deleted data recovery, which weakened the state's opposition to the accused's release.MSID:: 129796909 413 |