Punjab ex-DGP Bhawra claims pressure to engage in illegal acts, moves high court

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, May 21

Punjab’s former director-general of police Viresh Kumar Bhawra on Tuesday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court claiming that he was asked to participate in “illegal acts, which included, but were not limited to”, registration of cases against public figures.

In his petition placed before the Division Bench of Justice Deepak Sibal and Justice Deepak Manchanda, Bhawra added he was also pressurised to relinquish the charge of the DGP’s post after the present government took over in March 2022.

Bhawra, among other things, has challenged his removal from the DGP’s post under “the garb of transfer in total contravention of law settled by the Supreme Court”.

Taking up the matter, the Bench fixed the case for further hearing on July 4 after the summer break’s conclusion.

The petition, filed through counsel Bikramjit Singh Patwalia and Sukhmani T Patwalia, was argued before the Bench by senior advocate DS Patwalia. The present DGP Gaurav Yadav is among five arrayed as a respondents.

Bhawra added: “Immediately when the present government took charge, the petitioner was pressurized to relinquish the charge of the post of DGP (head of police force) as it was perceived that he was an appointee of the previous government. The same was baseless as the petitioner was employed in pursuance to valid process conducted by non-else than the UPSC,” he submitted.

It was added that the other acts he was asked to participate in included granting security by Punjab Police contingents outside the State to various dignitaries.

“The ruling government realizing that the petitioner would not scum to their pressure, towards the end of June 2022, for reason best known to it, started putting pressure on him to give in writing that he does not want to continue as DGP (HoPF) and would be compensated by appointment as state security advisor”, he added.