High Court directs former Punjab Congress MLA Kulbir Zira to join probe, interim bail granted
Saurabh Malik
Chandigarh, July 4
Less than a month after the registration of an attempt to murder case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed ex-MLA Kulbir Singh Zira to join the investigation and appear before the investigating agency when required.
In the event of arrest, he was directed to be granted interim bail upon furnishing bail bonds to the satisfaction of the arresting/investigating officer. Among other things, Zira had claimed false implication in the matter.
In his petition placed before Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul’s Bench, Zira through counsel S S Behl and Gaurav Vir Singh Behl was seeking the concession of anticipatory bail in the case registered on June 6 for attempt to murder and other offences under Sections 307, 447, 427, 107, 148 and 149 of the IPC and the provisions of the Arms Act at Zira police station in Ferozepur district.
His counsel submitted that the petitioner’s false implication was evident from the fact that totally vague allegations had been levelled in the FIR against him. It was alleged that co-accused raised a ‘lalkara’ and fired shots at a person upon receiving a phone call from the petitioner.
It was not the prosecution’s case that the petitioner was present at the spot or the alleged phone call instructing the co-accused to attack the complainant party was even audible.
Apart from the vague allegations in the FIR, there was nothing to link the petitioner to the incident. Besides this, no recovery was to be made from the petitioner.
As such, his custodial interrogation was not required. The petitioner, otherwise also, has clean antecedents and was not involved in any other criminal case.
