Bhagwant Mann video row: Gurgaon court flags lack of evidence again, one more gets bail

On Monday, a Gurgaon court granted bail to Pankaj Yadav, the third accused in a case involving the alleged fabrication of forensic reports related to an "objectionable" video of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Yadav, owner of a training center in Delhi, is one of three men arrested in the case, all of whom are currently out on bail.

The FIR was registered on June 23 by Jaspreet Singh, a digital forensics worker from Sirsa, who claimed he was pressured into obtaining forged reports stating the video was AI-generated. The Gurgaon police have not questioned two senior Punjab Police officers alleged to be present in footage from the hotel where Singh was summoned.

Additional Sessions Judge Sudeep Goel denied the police's use of strict organized crime provisions under Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) due to a lack of foundational evidence. The judge emphasized that the state cannot arrest a suspect without legally admissible accusations or evidence and that custodial interrogation should only follow the collection of such evidence.

The prosecution conceded that the accused had clean criminal records, with no prior charges or pending cases. The forensic analysis of seized electronic devices is still pending, so it cannot be definitively concluded that the forged reports were prepared by the accused.