The Indian Express: Chandigarh: Wednesday, 14th
January 2026.
Court grants interim relief, issues notice to Punjab government in FIR linked to social media query on official helicopter use
The Punjab and Haryana
High Court on Monday granted interim relief to a law student–RTI activist and
three journalists, staying further investigation in an FIR registered against
them over a social media post questioning the use of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant
Singh Mann’s official helicopter during his absence abroad.
Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj issued notice of motion to the State of Punjab, returnable on February 23.
The petitioners, namely, Manik Goyal, a law student and RTI activist, and journalists Baljinder Singh alias Mintu Gurusaria, Maninderjeet Singh and Mandeep Singh Makkar, had approached the High Court under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, seeking quashing of FIR No. 67 of 2025. The FIR was registered on December 12, 2025, at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ludhiana, under Sections 353(1), 353(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The case arises from a social media post made by Goyal on December 9, 2025, flagging the movement of the Chief Minister’s helicopter, bearing registration number VT-PSG, on December 8. At the time, Chief Minister Mann was on an official visit to Japan from December 1 to 10.
According to the petitioners, the FIR “originates from a bona fide public query” raised by Goyal regarding the use of the helicopter on a date when the Chief Minister was “admittedly out of India on an official foreign delegation”.
The petition states that the information shared in the post was sourced from FlightRadar24, a publicly accessible and lawful flight-tracking platform. By entering the helicopter’s registration number, Goyal observed that on December 8 the aircraft undertook multiple sorties within Chandigarh, flew to Amritsar, travelled onward to another location and then returned to Chandigarh. The post, the plea says, merely shared publicly available data and raised issues of transparency in the use of public resources.
The issue subsequently triggered wider discussion, with the three journalist-petitioners raising similar questions on their respective platforms and interviewing Goyal. The petition alleges that instead of clarifying the matter, the State chose to initiate criminal proceedings.
It further points out that there is no private complainant in the case. The FIR, it says, was registered solely on the complaint of a police officer, Inspector Satbir Singh, and does not disclose any grievance raised by a member of the public. The plea also claims that while the FIR acknowledges that the helicopter flew on the relevant date and was used by a person holding a constitutional post, it conceals the identity of that person and the purpose of the flight.
The petitioners argue that even if the allegations in the FIR are accepted at face value, no cognisable offence is made out. They contend that raising questions, sharing publicly available information and participating in public debate are protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, and that the FIR is intended to stifle dissent and independent journalism.
The plea also refers to Goyal’s earlier attempts to seek information through RTI applications filed in 2024 regarding government expenditure on helicopters and aircraft since March 2022, which were rejected on the ground of security exemptions under Section 24 of the RTI Act.
Senior advocate R.S. Bains argued the case for the petitioners, assisted by advocate Loveneet Thakur.
The interim order stays all further proceedings in the FIR until the next date of hearing.
Court grants interim relief, issues notice to Punjab government in FIR linked to social media query on official helicopter use
Justice Vinod S. Bhardwaj issued notice of motion to the State of Punjab, returnable on February 23.
The petitioners, namely, Manik Goyal, a law student and RTI activist, and journalists Baljinder Singh alias Mintu Gurusaria, Maninderjeet Singh and Mandeep Singh Makkar, had approached the High Court under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, seeking quashing of FIR No. 67 of 2025. The FIR was registered on December 12, 2025, at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Ludhiana, under Sections 353(1), 353(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The case arises from a social media post made by Goyal on December 9, 2025, flagging the movement of the Chief Minister’s helicopter, bearing registration number VT-PSG, on December 8. At the time, Chief Minister Mann was on an official visit to Japan from December 1 to 10.
According to the petitioners, the FIR “originates from a bona fide public query” raised by Goyal regarding the use of the helicopter on a date when the Chief Minister was “admittedly out of India on an official foreign delegation”.
The petition states that the information shared in the post was sourced from FlightRadar24, a publicly accessible and lawful flight-tracking platform. By entering the helicopter’s registration number, Goyal observed that on December 8 the aircraft undertook multiple sorties within Chandigarh, flew to Amritsar, travelled onward to another location and then returned to Chandigarh. The post, the plea says, merely shared publicly available data and raised issues of transparency in the use of public resources.
The issue subsequently triggered wider discussion, with the three journalist-petitioners raising similar questions on their respective platforms and interviewing Goyal. The petition alleges that instead of clarifying the matter, the State chose to initiate criminal proceedings.
It further points out that there is no private complainant in the case. The FIR, it says, was registered solely on the complaint of a police officer, Inspector Satbir Singh, and does not disclose any grievance raised by a member of the public. The plea also claims that while the FIR acknowledges that the helicopter flew on the relevant date and was used by a person holding a constitutional post, it conceals the identity of that person and the purpose of the flight.
The petitioners argue that even if the allegations in the FIR are accepted at face value, no cognisable offence is made out. They contend that raising questions, sharing publicly available information and participating in public debate are protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, and that the FIR is intended to stifle dissent and independent journalism.
The plea also refers to Goyal’s earlier attempts to seek information through RTI applications filed in 2024 regarding government expenditure on helicopters and aircraft since March 2022, which were rejected on the ground of security exemptions under Section 24 of the RTI Act.
Senior advocate R.S. Bains argued the case for the petitioners, assisted by advocate Loveneet Thakur.
The interim order stays all further proceedings in the FIR until the next date of hearing.
.JPG)
.JPG)
