High Court Grants Relief to Partap Singh Bajwa in FIR Over '50 Bombs' Remark
In a temporary relief to Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Punjab Government not to take any coercive action against him until April 22. The direction comes in response to an FIR filed over Bajwa’s controversial remark that “50 bombs have reached Punjab.”
The order was issued by a bench headed by Justice Deepak Gupta, which also served notice to the state government on Bajwa’s petition seeking the quashing of the FIR. The court instructed Bajwa to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation and barred him from making any public statements about the case until the next hearing, scheduled for April 22.
The FIR stems from Bajwa’s remarks during a televised interview, where he stated that “50 bombs have reached Punjab, out of which 18 were used.” A complaint was subsequently filed by a cybercell constable who alleged that the statement could disturb public peace.
During the hearing, Bajwa’s counsel, senior advocate APS Deol, argued that the FIR was politically motivated and a violation of his client’s right to free speech. He emphasized that no preliminary inquiry was conducted before filing the case, and insisted that Bajwa was merely raising concerns over the state’s law and order situation. “This is a political vendetta by the AAP government,” Deol said.
The Punjab government, however, countered that a preliminary inquiry is not required before lodging an FIR for cognizable offenses. A detailed court order is expected soon.
Bajwa has maintained that he is being unfairly targeted by the ruling AAP government, while state authorities argue that his remarks could incite communal tension and unrest.
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