Jagdish Bhola gets HC relief: Punjab cop-turned-drug lord granted bail in all three cases
Jagdish Bhola news: In a major legal development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted bail to former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and convicted drug trafficker Jagdish Bhola in all three criminal cases pending against him. These include a money laundering case and two separate cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Jagdish Bhola, once a celebrated wrestler and recipient of the Arjuna Award, was earlier convicted in a high-profile drug trafficking and money laundering case. In 2023, a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Mohali sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Before that, in 2019, he was convicted in two cases related to drug and arms smuggling, for which he received sentences of 12 and 10 years respectively — totaling 22 years when served consecutively.
Currently, all three convictions are under appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On May 21, the High Court granted bail in all cases, providing significant relief to the former Punjab police officer. The detailed bail order has not yet been released and is expected to be made public in the coming days.
Former top cop-turned-drug racket accused
Bhola, who was dismissed from the Punjab Police in 2004 after the recovery of poppy husk, gradually became a key figure in Punjab’s synthetic drug network, allegedly worth Rs 700 crore. Over the years, he has been named in several FIRs registered across Patiala, Mohali, and Fatehgarh Sahib.
In 2019, a special CBI court in Mohali sentenced Bhola to 24 years in prison for his role in multiple drug trafficking cases. These sentences were ordered to run concurrently. In 2024, he was handed an additional 10-year jail term for money laundering.
Strict bail conditions imposed
This was Bhola’s second bail application filed on merit. The High Court granted relief but laid down stringent bail conditions:
A bail bond of Rs 5 lakh along with two sureties of the same amount.
Monthly reporting to the local police station.
Mandatory surrender of his passport to the trial court. If unavailable or expired, an affidavit must be submitted.
As a community service condition, Bhola must plant 100 saplings and submit a compliance report within 15 days, failing which the bail may be revoked.
The court considered his prolonged incarceration of over 11.5 years as one of the primary reasons for granting bail at this stage.
- PTC NEWS
