Army Officer Alleges Assault by Lawyers in Panchkula Court, FIR Registered

Haryana Police have registered an FIR against advocate Maninder Singh Bitta following allegations by Lieutenant Colonel Ashish Chandok that he was assaulted, wrongfully confined and forced to sign a compromise agreement inside the Panchkula district court complex during the hearing of his marital dispute.

The FIR, registered on Friday, invokes multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) , including sections related to voluntarily causing hurt, grievous hurt, wrongful confinement, rioting and criminal intimidation .

According to the complaint, Chandok, who is posted at the Chandimandir Military Station , has been involved in multiple family court cases filed by his estranged wife over the past year. He alleged that during a hearing on July 9 , Bitta and several other lawyers misbehaved with him outside the courtroom before allegedly assaulting him.

The Army officer further claimed he was taken to another advocate's chamber, where he was again assaulted and threatened into signing a raazinama (compromise agreement) without being allowed to read its contents. He alleged he was permitted to leave the court premises only after signing the document.

Police said Chandok underwent a medical examination at Civil Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula , where two blunt injuries were recorded.

Advocate Maninder Singh Bitta has denied all allegations , describing them as baseless. He claimed that Chandok attempted to assault and verbally abuse him inside the court premises and said he had already lodged a complaint with the police after the incident. Bitta also stated that he has sought CCTV footage from the court complex, adding that access to the recordings requires approval from the High Court.

The matter remains under police investigation, with both sides presenting conflicting versions of the incident.