The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed Punjab Director-General of Police to file a status report, while taking up a petition filed by a businessman, alleging that a sitting MLA and Punjab Cabinet Minister was demanding a share in his business without making any investment. The officer has been asked to file the report by way of his personal affidavit.
The court also directed the authorities concerned to assess the threat perception to the life and liberty of the petitioner and his family. In case any threat was found, necessary protection would be provided, the court ordered.
The directions by Justice Deepak Gupta came on a petition filed by Malkiat Singh seeking protection of his life and liberty and that of his family from the MLA and other respondents. Among other things, he alleged that the respondents, including the MLA, were “bent upon to eliminate him for not giving the share of business”.
Directions were also sought for the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for conducting investigation in an FIR registered on October 14, 2025, at Cyber Crime police station Hoshiarpur under the provisions of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The petitioner alleged that he, on October 5, 2025, received a WhatsApp call from an international number by a person, who introduced himself as gangster and issued open threats.
Appearing before the Bench, the counsel for the petitioner submitted that he and his brother were businessmen installing PTO (power take-off) gear box in trolleys. The instrument was “discovered by the petitioner and his brother and the same was popular in India as well as in Asia,” the counsel submitted in the petition on their behalf.
The Bench, during the course of hearing, was told that respondent Hardeep Singh Mundian—a sitting MLA and Cabinet Minister—had been visiting the petitioner’s business place and “making illegal demands of giving him share without making any investment in the business of the petitioner”.
Counsel further submitted that the respondent “was bent upon to close the business of the petitioner and his brother by hook or crook, unless his demands were met”. Taking up the matter, Justice Gupta asserted: “Having regard to nature of serious allegations levelled against the respondent (MLA) and other private respondents, notice of motion is hereby issued”.
Justice Gupta then directed the respondent-DGP to file a status report by way of his personal affidavit. He was also directed to submit another status report regarding the investigation conducted so far in an FIR. Punjab Deputy Advocate-General Ravneet Singh Joshi accepted notice on behalf of the State and its official respondents. The matter has been adjourned to July 14, 2026.
