Punjab and Haryana HC grants anticipatory bail to author of Sidhu Moosewala book in defamation case

The prosecution argued that Singh had allegedly stolen an album of personal photographs from the complainant’s residence and used them in his book. Additionally, it was alleged that the book made unverified claims linking Moosewala to gangsters and criminal activities.

Singh’s counsel contended that he wrote the book as an academic exercise and that its content was based on publicly available information. The defence maintained that the publication was not intended to harm anyone’s reputation and did not contain any offensive or defamatory statements.

In his ruling, Justice Moudgil stated that there was no compelling reason to deny Singh anticipatory bail. The court observed that the book appeared to be a legitimate personal account rather than an act of intellectual property theft. It also noted that Singh had shown a willingness to cooperate with the investigation.

Granting him anticipatory bail, the court directed Singh to join the investigation within a week and furnish personal and surety bonds. Conditions were also imposed, including restrictions on leaving the country without permission and avoiding any inducements or threats to witnesses.

The court clarified that failure to comply with these conditions would result in the automatic cancellation of the bail order.