HC Grants Bail to Terrorist's Mother, Sister

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted bail to the mother and sister of notorious gangster-terrorist Harpreet Singh, also known as Happy Passian. They were accused in the case involving the planting of an improvised explosive device (IED) outside the Ajnala police station in November 2024. The court highlighted the absence of independent corroborative evidence, noting that the sole evidence against them was their own disclosure statements and those of a co-accused.

The two women were arrested on November 25, 2024, based on alleged secret information that they aided Passian, who is wanted in multiple terror cases and was recently apprehended by the FBI in the United States, with extradition proceedings underway. The prosecution claimed they provided support to individuals who planted the explosive, but the defense argued they were simple household women falsely implicated to pressure Passian.

Justice Subhas Mehla observed that no recovery was made in connection with their disclosure statements, and their clean antecedents, coupled with the protracted trial and the main accused's arrest abroad, justified the grant of bail. The court emphasized that the bomb did not explode, and no one was injured, making denial of bail purely as a punitive measure inappropriate.