Court Orders Fresh Police Custody of RTO in Vigilance Corruption Case

 PHAGWRA: The Court of Ms. Aprajita Joshi, Additional Sessions Judge, SBS Nagar, has set aside the order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate dated September 27, 2025, and directed fresh consideration of police remand for Ravinder Kumar Bansal, PCS, Regional Transport Officer (RTO), in a major corruption probe by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. 

The Bureau had sought a seven-day police remand, alleging that Bansal, while serving as RTO, played a key role in issuing driving licences without mandatory driving tests in exchange for bribes routed through subordinates and private agents. The CJM had earlier granted only one day’s remand and remanded the accused to judicial custody thereafter.

 Allowing the State’s revision petition, the court held that the refusal of police remand was not an interlocutory order and that custodial interrogation was necessary to trace the bribe money, recover incriminating material, and unearth the wider conspiracy. 

The court directed that the accused be produced before the CJM/Duty Magistrate for fresh orders on police custody, ensuring that no third-degree methods are used, medical examination is conducted daily, and interrogation occurs in the presence of counsel