Regular Bail to Varun Puri – High Court of Punjab & Haryana, CRM‑M‑37412 of 2025 (13 Aug 2025)
Case: Varun Puri vs. State of Haryana; Court: High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh; Judge: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Yashvir Singh Rathor; Case No.: CRM-M-37412 of 2025; Decision Date: 13.08.2025; Parties: Varun Puri vs. State of Haryana
Facts
The petitioner, Varun Puri, an authorized signatory of Universal Buildwell Pvt. Ltd., was charged under FIR No. 398 dated 29.11.2018, invoking IPC §§ 406, 420 and 120‑B, arising from a builder‑buyer dispute wherein a purchaser remitted Rs 55,98,698 for flat No. 1703, Tower‑G, Universal Aura, yet remained denied possession; the complaint, first lodged on 03.08.2017 before the SHO of Police Station Kherki Daula, was escalated through a Section 156(3) CrPC application before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Gurugram, resulting in FIR registration on 04.09.2018; subsequent investigation produced a challan, charges were framed, and trial proceedings commenced, while concurrently the petitioner faced prosecution in sixty‑four FIRs, was declared a proclaimed offender in 2021, and was detained from 07.03.2025 onward, prior to the present petition he had obtained regular bail from a coordinate bench of the same Court in analogous matters CRM‑M‑37287‑2025, CRM‑M‑37558‑2025 and CRM‑M‑37564‑2025.
Issue
The pivotal question posed for determination is whether a proclaimed offender, confronted with a multitude of pending criminal matters and alleged under IPC §§ 406, 420 and 120‑B, is statutorily entitled to the grant of regular bail pending trial, notwithstanding the State's contention that such circumstances warrant denial of liberty.
Rule
The jurisdiction to grant regular bail rests upon CrPC § 439, which empowers the court to release an accused on bail when the nature of the offence, the likelihood of the accused absconding, potential tampering with evidence, and the anticipated duration of the trial collectively satisfy the statutory criteria; the applicable substantive provisions include IPC §§ 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 120‑B (criminal conspiracy), each of which, while cognizable, do not per se preclude bail absent a demonstration of grave flight risk or threat to the judicial process.
Analysis
The Court first observed that the veracity of the allegations lodged against the petitioner would inevitably be adjudicated only after the trial concludes and the evidence is duly examined, thereby necessitating restraint from premortem pronouncements on guilt; it further noted that the pendency of the trial is expected to be protracted, a circumstance that, in the absence of compelling reasons to the contrary, tilts the balance in favor of liberty to avert undue deprivation; the petitioner's contention that the dispute is fundamentally civil, predicated upon his capacity as an authorized signatory rather than a corporate director, was recognised but not exhaustively analysed, the Court deeming that the mere characterization of the claim does not, of itself, nullify the criminal provisions invoked; regarding the State's reliance upon the petitioner's proclaimed offender status and the aggregate of sixty‑four pending FIRs, the Court held that such factors, while relevant, are not determinative, for bail jurisprudence mandates a holistic assessment where the mere existence of multiple cases does not automatically engender denial; the Court extensively relied upon its own precedent in CRM‑M‑37287‑2025, CRM‑M‑37558‑2025 and CRM‑M‑37564‑2025, wherein the same petitioner was accorded regular bail under comparable factual matrices, thereby affirming the principle of consistency and the avoidance of bewildering disparity; having balanced the competing considerations, the Court concluded that the petitioner is entitled to regular bail, subject to the imposition of customary safeguards including the furnishing of surety, non‑tampering with evidence, reporting requirements, passport surrender, provision of mobile details, assurance of non‑delay of trial, and the execution of monthly affidavits attesting to good conduct.
Conclusion
Consequently, the petition for regular bail is allowed; the petitioner, Varun Puri, is ordered to be released upon furnishing bail or surety bonds satisfactory to the trial Court or Duty Magistrate, under the conditions enumerated, and the judgment expressly clarifies that no opinion on the merits of the underlying criminal allegations is expressed.
Regular Bail – High Court of Punjab & Haryana
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