P&H High Court Lets Roop Bansal Withdraw FIR Quashing Plea, Imposes Rs 1 Lakh Cost

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has allowed real estate developer Roop Bansal to withdraw his petition seeking to quash an FIR filed against him in a case linked to alleged bribery of a trial court judge. He has been booked under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and also for criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the IPC.

This was not Bansal’s first attempt. His earlier quashing plea was withdrawn in February, with permission to file a fresh petition with better details. He later filed another petition in April, but again moved the Court to withdraw it.

The request to withdraw the second petition was first listed before two judges and then placed before the Chief Justice after allegations of “bench hunting” were raised. The Chief Justice recused from the matter, followed by two more recusals. Eventually, the case came up before Justice Aman Chaudhary.

The Court accepted the withdrawal after Bansal’s counsel stated, on his own instructions, that no further challenge would be made to the FIR. The Court also imposed a cost of ₹1 lakh, to be deposited with the Haryana State Legal Services Authority within one week. The case was then dismissed as withdrawn, subject to proof of deposit being filed with the Registry.