The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted regular bail to a YouTube vlogger booked under the Official Secrets Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, observing that there was no prima facie material to show communication with Pakistani nationals or sharing of sensitive information. The court noted that, at this stage, allegations of contact or transmission of confidential material were not supported by evidence.
Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj passed the order after hearing arguments from both sides and examining the facts and circumstances of the case. The court observed that several “arguable issues” would come up during trial regarding the alleged offences. It also noted the absence of readily available corroborative material indicating direct or indirect communication, transfer of sensitive information, or any overt act suggesting culpable intent.
The court further took into account that the petitioner had already spent around 10 months in custody and had no criminal antecedents. The order came on a regular bail petition filed against the State of Punjab and other respondents in connection with an FIR registered on June 3, 2025, at the State Special Operations Cell police station in Mohali.
According to the FIR, Jasbir Singh, a resident of Ropar district and owner of a YouTube channel titled “Jaan Mahal”, had allegedly travelled to Pakistan several times and was suspected of being in contact with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI.
The prosecution alleged that Jasbir, along with unidentified associates and allegedly acting at the behest of ISI agents, was involved in passing sensitive information related to activities within India, including movements of the Indian Army. It was further claimed that he maintained contact with Pakistani nationals while operating his YouTube channel as a cover.
Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate P S Ahluwalia along with counsel Deepinder Singh Virk submitted that Jasbir Singh was arrested on June 3, 2025, and had remained in custody for over 10 months. They argued that he was a travel vlogger who regularly uploaded content on his YouTube channel and Instagram account, and that the criminal proceedings stemmed from videos posted on his channel “Jaan Mahal”.
Justice Bhardwaj noted that the State could not argue that the petitioner had been running a YouTube channel featuring a large number of travel and vlog-related videos. The court observed that analysis of the petitioner’s mobile phone data had not revealed any chats, messages, or communication showing contact with Pakistani nationals at this stage.
The court also recorded that the State did not contest that the videos uploaded by the petitioner did not contain any classified or restricted material. It observed that the videos appeared to show publicly accessible locations and subjects, and no material had been placed on record to suggest that the petitioner had accessed or shared any sensitive or confidential information.
The High Court ordered the petitioner’s release on regular bail upon furnishing the required bonds before the trial court. However, the court directed that he must not threaten or influence any prosecution witness directly or indirectly. It also clarified that the observations made in the bail order would not affect the merits of the case during trial.
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