The CBI Court, Chandigarh, has dismissed the plea of suspended Punjab Police DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar and his close aide Kirshanu Sharda seeking recall of its order taking cognisance in the corruption case registered by CBI last year.On March 13, the CBI court had taken cognisance in the case, observing that the demand, acceptance, and recovery of bribe money, along with electronic evidence and corroborative witness statements, prima facie establish a criminal conspiracy hatched between the accused. The court noted that both accused conspired with each other and committed “acts of omission and commission”. Hence, prima facie, they were found to have committed offences punishable under Section 61(2) of the BNS, 2023, and Sections 7 and 12 of the PC Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, and substantive offences thereof.SPS Bhullar, counsel for the suspended DIG, opposed the cognisance order, arguing that it was passed despite the chargesheet being incomplete, as CFSL report documents had yet to be supplied.The counsel further argued that the prosecution sanction was invalid because the consent of the Punjab Government had not been obtained, as the accused is an employee of the state government.He also contended that the case was not even fixed for framing of charges as copies of prosecution documents were still being supplied to the accused.However, the public prosecutor for CBI opposed the application. After hearing arguments, the court dismissed the plea.CBI arrested Bhullar, then DIG, Ropar Range, Punjab Police, and his accomplice Kirshanu on October 16, 2025, based on a written complaint dated September 11, 2025, by complainant Akash Batta.Batta alleged that Kirshanu, who is close to the DIG, met him and demanded Rs 8 lakh to settle an FIR registered against him at Sirhind police station and as a monthly payment to allow him to run his scrap dealing business.