Crl.M.No.M 34923 of 2009 (O&M) -1- IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH. Crl.M.No.M 34923 of 2009 (O&M) Date of Decision: March 17, 2010 Simerjit Singh alias Gora .....Petitioner v. State of Punjab ......Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MR.JUSTICE RAM CHAND GUPTA Present: Mr.Sandeep Vermani, Advocate for the petitioner. Mr.Gaurav Garg Dhuriwala, AAG, Punjab. ...... RAM CHAND GUPTA, J.(Oral) The present petition filed under Section 439 Cr.P.C. is for grant of regular bail to the petitioner in case FIR No.164, dated 28.10.2008, under Sections 307/148/149 IPC, later on added Section 302 IPC and then converted for offence under Section 306 IPC, registered at Police Station Sadar, Muktsar. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and have gone through the whole record carefully. Brief allegations against the petitioner-accused are that he is husband of Harpreet Kaur, who died of burn injuries in his house just after 3-1/2 months of marriage. Further allegations are that in-law's family of deceased did not like her and they set her on fire in connivance with each other. Petitioner-accused is only facing trial. It has been contended by learned counsel for the petitioner- accused that he has been continuing in custody since March 2009. It has further been contended that deceased herself put her on fire without any provocation from the present petitioner and that he was not present at the time of occurrence and that best treatment was provided by the petitioner to her in order to save her life. Crl.M.No.M 34923 of 2009 (O&M) -2- Bail application has been vehemently opposed by learned State counsel, on instructions from Harbans Singh, ASI, on the plea that there are serious allegations against the petitioner-accused and that his wife died of burn injuries just after 3-1/2 months of marriage in his house. It has further been contended that though initially offence under Section 302 IPC was added, challan was filed for offence under Section 306 IPC and charge has since been framed under Section 306 IPC and that the case is fixed for evidence of the prosecution and only one witness has been examined so far. Hence, it is contended that there are chances of petitioner-accused tampering with the prosecution evidence, if released on bail, at this stage. Hence, in view of these facts, and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, I am of the view that it is not such a case in which benefit of regular bail should be granted to the petitioner-accused, at this stage. The application filed by petitioner-accused Simerjit Singh alias Gora for regular bail is, hereby, dismissed being devoid of any merit. 17.3.2010 (Ram Chand Gupta) meenu Judge