Ludhiana custodial death 2020: 4 accused cops move revision plea after court orders murder proceedings

The JMIC, in the December 2025 ordered had found “sufficient ground under section 204 of the CrPC to proceed against the accused persons only under the sections 302 (murder) of the IPC”. Citing the final enquiry report, the JMIC had noted that there was a need to investigate the role of police officials “as prima facie it appears that Deepak Shukla died under mysterious circumstances”.

The order came after the Shukla’s father filed a complaint in the court seeking murder proceedings against the four policemen.

Additional sessions judge Jaspinder Singh had on March 6 granted anticipatory bail to the four after their counsel submitted that an FIR under sections 188 and 342 of the IPC dated August 14, 2020, was already registered against the accused in which the “same allegations” were levelled. After an investigation, police had filed a cancellation report in this FIR, but the court rejected it and summoned the accused to face trial under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 120-B (conspiracy) of the IPC. Thereafter, a revision petition was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and further proceedings in this FIR were stayed. Noting that the accused persons were “already summoned in the FIR against them,” the court granted them anticipatory bail with a condition that the accused will “surrender before the trial court/district magistrate” and “shall be released to its satisfaction.”

Shukla, 26, arrested for the alleged theft of some vehicles on February 22, 2020, by Division No. 5 police, died at Ludhiana Central Jail on February 26. His father moved court claiming that even as the local court had ordered judicial remand for his son on February 24, he was taken to jail on February 25, a delay of a day, and before that, he was allegedly tortured and assaulted in police custody at division number 5 police station.

The FIR against three policemen (constable Jugnu was nominated later) was registered on August 14, 2020, under sections 188 (disobedience to the order duly promulgated by a public servant), 342 (wrongful restraint) of the IPC and Section 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act.