Complainants Seek Return of ₹55 Lakh Held by CBI for 2 Years; Chandigarh Court to Hear Plea on Sept 28

September 4, 2026

Chandigarh: A special CBI court in Chandigarh is set to hear an application seeking the return of ₹55 lakh that has remained in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for nearly two years.

The application has been filed by Rajnish Bansal and Bhupendra Sharma, who have claimed that the money belongs to them. The court is scheduled to hear the matter on September 28, when it will consider whether the amount should be returned to the complainants or continue to remain with the investigating agency as evidence.

The ₹55 lakh was recovered during a CBI trap operation in a ₹2.5 crore alleged bribery case involving Vishaldeep, then Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Shimla, and his brother Vikasdeep.

CBI laid trap after bribery complaint

The case dates back to December 2024, when Bansal and Sharma, who were accused in the Himachal Pradesh scholarship scam, approached the CBI alleging that Vishaldeep was demanding a bribe running into crores of rupees by threatening them with arrest.

After receiving the complaint, the CBI conducted an investigation and planned a trap operation to catch the accused while allegedly accepting the bribe.

As part of the operation, the agency provided the complainants with ₹25 lakh and ₹30 lakh, totalling ₹55 lakh, which they were supposed to use during the trap.

The CBI subsequently conducted operations in Panchkula and Zirakpur on December 25, 2024.

₹55 lakh recovered from Vishaldeep’s brother

During the operation, Vishaldeep and his brother Vikasdeep were arrested. The ₹55 lakh was recovered from Vikasdeep’s possession, according to the case details.

The complainants have now approached the special CBI court, claiming ownership of the money and seeking its return.

The amount has remained with the investigating agency since the arrests. The court’s decision on September 28 will determine its immediate status.

CBI also probes disproportionate assets

Following the bribery case, the CBI also initiated an investigation into allegations that Vishaldeep and Vikasdeep possessed assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

The agency examined records relating to their income, expenditure and assets. According to the CBI’s investigation, the brothers’ assets were found to be 231.48 per cent higher than their known income during the period examined.

Based on the findings, the CBI registered a separate disproportionate-assets case against the two brothers.

Court to decide fate of ₹55 lakh

The September 28 hearing is expected to be significant for determining what happens to the ₹55 lakh recovered during the trap operation.

The court will decide whether the money should be handed back to Bansal and Sharma, as requested in their application, or remain in CBI custody in connection with the ongoing legal proceedings.