The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday refused to grant regular bail to a former Army personnel accused of passing confidential information related to Indian Army movements to Pakistani intelligence agencies.

In the said matter, Justice Manisha Batra observed that the allegations against the accused were extremely serious, as he was allegedly in continuous contact with Pakistani intelligence officials through various social media platforms.

The Court noted that Singh, taking advantage of his previous association with the Indian Army, allegedly gathered and shared sensitive information relating to Army movements, military formations, and war preparations with Pakistani intelligence agencies. It further observed that he was also accused of receiving money in exchange for these activities.

Singh was serving with the Defence Service Corps at the Air Force Station in Bikaner when he was arrested on February 7 this year. A Special Operation Cell in Amritsar registered a case against him under the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after receiving information that he had been transmitting highly confidential military information to Pakistan.

Opposing the allegations, Singh's counsel argued that he had been falsely implicated despite serving in the Army for nearly 17 years with an unblemished record. The defence claimed that he was not arrested from any restricted or sensitive military location but was allegedly picked up from a marriage function. It was also argued that the prosecution had failed to produce any material showing that he had actually shared secret information with anyone.

After examining the case, the High Court declined to grant bail, holding that the gravity of the allegations, the evidence collected during the investigation, and the larger public interest weighed against the accused at this stage.

"Having regard to the seriousness of the allegations, the nature of the material collected during investigation and the larger public interest involved, this Court does not find it to be a fit case for extending the concession of regular bail to the petitioner at this stage," the Court said.

Advocate Kuljit Singh Bal appeared for the petitioner, while Advocate Sakshi Bakshi represented the State.

Case Title: Harpal Singh @ Harbahal Singh v. State of Punjab