Punjab & Haryana High Court Grants Bail to Businessman Accused of Fraud and Caste Abuse; Notes Victim’s No-Objection and Emphasizes Reformative Justice
Case Name: Virender Bhatia v. State of Haryana & Another
Date of Judgment: October 31, 2025
Citation: CRA-S-2761-2025
Bench: Hon’ble Mr. Justice Anoop Chitkara
Held: The Punjab & Haryana High Court granted bail to a businessman accused of cheating, assault, and caste-based offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, BNS Sections 115(2), 316(2), 318(4), and the BUDS Act, 2019, citing the victim’s no-objection affidavit and the appellant’s clean antecedents. Justice Anoop Chitkara held that once peace has been restored through compromise and no threat persists, continued pre-trial incarceration serves no legitimate purpose. The Court underscored that bail aims to facilitate reform and reintegration, not prolonged punishment before conviction.
Summary: The FIR, registered at Police Station Civil Lines, Sirsa, alleged that accused Virender Bhatia and associates induced the complainant to invest ₹11,41,000 in a purported international solar venture named Earth Bimb Solar under false assurances of overseas employment. The complainant later alleged physical assault and caste-based abuse when seeking repayment. The appellant was in custody for over four months when he sought bail under Section 14-A of the SC/ST Act after his plea was rejected by the Sessions Court.
Counsel for the appellant argued that the dispute had been amicably resolved through the intervention of community elders, with the complainant affirming no further grievance. The State opposed bail citing the gravity of the charges, but the Court found merit in balancing Article 21 rights with procedural fairness. Justice Chitkara referred to landmark precedents including Babu Singh v. State of U.P. (1978), Siddharam Satlingappa Mhetre v. State of Maharashtra (2010), and Sanjay Chandra v. CBI (2011) to reaffirm that pre-trial detention must not become punitive.
Decision: The Court allowed the appeal and ordered the appellant’s release on bail upon furnishing a personal bond and surety of ₹10,000. Conditions imposed include non-interference with witnesses, mandatory appearance at trial, and automatic bail revocation if the appellant commits any non-bailable offence carrying a sentence of over seven years. The judgment also directed trial courts to accept verified downloaded copies of bail orders to prevent delay in release, following Amit Rana v. State of Haryana (2025).