The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that a police official, who betrays the trust reposed in him, cannot be granted the concession of bail. Justice Manisha Batra ruled the official could not claim parity with co-accused already granted bail as “the case of the petitioner stands on different footing”.The police official was accused of facilitating verification of fake addresses for obtaining passports. Dismissing his plea, Justice Batra observed that the allegations against him related to “his specific role in the verification of the passport application” and the alleged misuse of his official position. “He has betrayed the trust reposed in him as a police officer,” the Court observed.The accused police official had sought bail citing parity with co-accused already granted regular bail by the High Court. Appearing before Justice Batra’s Bench, his counsel had contended that the petitioner was not named in the FIR and was subsequently nominated during investigation on the basis of the disclosure statement of co-accused.His counsel argued that the disclosure statement could not be considered admissible in evidence and there was no monetary transaction connecting the petitioner with the alleged offence. The petitioner also relied on his 30-year unblemished service record, absence of criminal antecedents, completion of investigation and presentation of the challan.Referring to the status report, the State counsel told Justice Batra’s Bench that the allegations against the petitioner were serious in nature. “He was involved in verification of fake addresses used for obtaining passports and had received Rs.1 lakh per passport for facilitating such verification,” the State counsel submitted.Justice Batra noted that the allegations against the ASI were “not limited to a private dispute” but related to the “alleged misuse of his official position while conducting passport verification for various persons having criminal antecedents”.The FIR in the matter was registered on October 30, 2025, at Nawanshahr City police station for cheating and other offences under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 12 of the Passports Act.The Court noted that the investigation stood completed and the challan had been presented. But it held: “Considering the nature of allegations, the specific role attributed to the petitioner and the material referred to in the status report, this Court is not inclined to extend the concession of regular bail to the petitioner at this stage,” the Court held. The petition was accordingly dismissed.