Was pressured to carry out illegal acts: Former Punjab DGP VK Bhawra moves High Court

Chandigarh, May 21

Punjab’s former DGP Viresh Kumar Bhawra today 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 incumbent DGP Gaurav Yadav is among five arrayed as a respondents.

Bhawra added: “Immediately when the present government took charge, the petitioner was pressurised 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 the Punjab Police contingents outside the state. “The ruling government realising that the petitioner would not succumb 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 the DGP and would be compensated by appointment as state security adviser,” he said.