Fraudulent/Illegal Sanctioning of Old Age Pension Scheme: Punjab & Haryana High Court Denies Anticipatory Bail to Alleged Beneficiary

Case Name: Pappu v. State of Haryana

Date of Judgment: 09 March 2026

Citation: CRM-M-71021-2025

Bench: Justice Mandeep Pannu

Held: The Punjab & Haryana High Court refused anticipatory bail to a petitioner allegedly involved in a fraud relating to illegal sanction of old age pensions by manipulation of Family ID and income records. The Court held that the petitioner appeared to be a direct beneficiary of the illegally sanctioned pension and that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the modus operandi of the fraud.

Summary: The petition was filed under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 seeking anticipatory bail in FIR No. 174 dated 27.07.2025 registered under Sections 318(4), 336(3), 338 and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Police Station Sadar, District Palwal.

The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint made by Amit, who alleged that one Anil, son of the petitioner, had fraudulently facilitated the sanction of old age pensions by tampering with ration card details and manipulating income information in Family ID records. It was alleged that Aadhaar cards and bank passbooks of various persons were used to obtain old age pensions for individuals below the eligible age of 60 years. For each pension approval, amounts ranging between ₹25,000 and ₹40,000 were allegedly charged.

The complaint further alleged that unauthorized software tools were used to manipulate official records, and that pensions were even sanctioned for ineligible individuals including the accused’s own relatives. During inquiry, it surfaced that several pensions had been fraudulently obtained and some of the benefits were received by the petitioner and another individual, which led to registration of the present FIR.

The petitioner argued that he had been falsely implicated and that the allegations in the FIR were mainly directed against his son Anil. It was submitted that the petitioner was an illiterate villager and not technologically capable of manipulating online records. Although an amount of ₹31,650 had been credited into his bank account, the petitioner claimed that it was done without his knowledge as he did not operate his account personally and relied on others for such transactions.

The petitioner further contended that he never received the OTP required for processing such online transactions and that his mobile number might have been misused or there may have been a technical glitch. It was also submitted that upon receiving communication from the Social Welfare Department regarding the pension amount, he immediately deposited the amount back with the department. According to the petitioner, nothing was required to be recovered from him and custodial interrogation was unnecessary.

Opposing the petition, the State argued that the investigation had revealed the petitioner’s active involvement in the offence. It was submitted that the petitioner was a direct beneficiary of the illegally sanctioned pension, which had been obtained by manipulating official records and providing incorrect information regarding age eligibility.

The State further contended that the documents submitted for sanctioning the pension contained the petitioner’s credentials and that the OTP required for processing the pension was received on the mobile number linked with him. According to the prosecution, the petitioner acted in connivance with other accused persons and facilitated the fraudulent sanction of pension by providing incorrect information and forging records.

The State also submitted that custodial interrogation was necessary to identify other persons involved in the racket, recover forged documents and digital devices used for manipulating records, and trace the larger network responsible for illegally sanctioning pensions to ineligible individuals.

After considering the submissions and examining the record, the High Court observed that the petitioner appeared to be a direct beneficiary of the illegally sanctioned pension amount. The Court noted that the documents used for the sanction of the pension carried credentials linked to the petitioner and that the amount had been credited into his bank account.

The Court further observed that the allegations involved misuse of government welfare schemes and siphoning of public funds meant for genuinely eligible beneficiaries. Considering the seriousness of the allegations and the need to investigate the larger conspiracy, the Court held that custodial interrogation of the petitioner was necessary.

Decision: The Punjab & Haryana High Court dismissed the anticipatory bail petition filed by the petitioner, holding that the gravity of the allegations and the need for thorough investigation did not justify granting anticipatory bail.