Senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Prabha Bhandari has moved the court seeking bail in the Rs. 70 lakh bribery case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Alongside her bail plea, the officer has also filed a Criminal Miscellaneous Application urging the court to direct the CBI to play the alleged audio conversation relied upon by the agency during the hearing of her bail application, contending that the recording contains no incriminating material against her.
Bail Plea Confined to Prosecution’s Own Record
The bail application proceeds strictly on the basis of material already collected by the CBI and reflected in the prosecution record. No independent factual defence beyond the existing case material has been set up at this stage.
The plea stresses that bail jurisprudence requires the court to assess the necessity of continued custody, particularly when the investigation is largely complete and rests primarily on documentary and electronic evidence.
No Allegation of Recovery or Physical Acceptance Against the Officer
A central aspect highlighted in the bail plea is that no recovery of bribe money has been effected from Prabha Bhandari. The alleged recovery in the case pertains to other accused persons.
The officer’s application does not dispute recovery per se, but points out that the prosecution itself does not attribute any physical possession, receipt, or recovery of tainted money to her.
Prosecution Admits Officer Was Not at Place of Recovery
The bail plea does not raise a formal plea of alibi. Instead, it relies on the prosecution’s own admission that Prabha Bhandari was in Delhi and not present at the alleged spot of recovery.
This fact is relied upon only to demonstrate that custodial interrogation is unwarranted and that her alleged role is not based on physical presence at the scene of the alleged offence.
Call Records Collected Under Telegraph Act; Evidentiary Value to Be Tested at Trial
The CBI has relied upon call detail records and intercepted communications obtained under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, read with Rule 419A. The defence does not characterise such material as hearsay.
Instead, it is contended that the interpretation, context, and probative value of such electronic evidence are matters for trial and, by themselves, do not justify prolonged incarceration at the pre-trial stage.
Criminal Misc. Application Seeks Playing of Alleged Audio in Open Court
In a significant development, Prabha Bhandari has also filed a Criminal Miscellaneous Application seeking a direction to the CBI to play the alleged audio conversation during the hearing of her bail application.
The application states that after her arrest, the CBI played the alleged recorded conversation to her and showed her its transcription. Upon listening to the recording, the applicant immediately informed the investigating officers that there was no word spoken by her that could be treated as incriminating or constituting any offence.
It is further stated that a co-accused informed the CBI at the same time that he had been asked to make a controlled call around 10:30 PM on 30.12.2025 while he was in custody, but the applicant neither understood nor responded to the call in any incriminating manner.
Applicant Seeks Judicial Scrutiny of Recording
The application records that Prabha Bhandari had informed the CBI that she was travelling in a car along with her husband and infant child at the relevant time and that no conversation relating to any alleged offence had taken place.
Despite this, she was arrested on 31.12.2025 and has remained in judicial custody since then.
For the fair adjudication of the bail application, the officer has urged the court that the alleged audio conversation, if any, be played in open court during the bail hearing to ascertain the truth. She has also prayed that the transcription of the alleged conversation be placed before the court for its perusal.
Bail Sought on Ground of Unnecessary Custody
The bail plea reiterates that the investigation is substantially complete, no recovery is to be effected from the officer, and her continued custody would amount to pre-trial punishment in violation of Article 21 of the Constitution.
The application also notes that Prabha Bhandari is a serving senior officer, has no criminal antecedents, has cooperated with the investigation, and poses no flight risk.
Court to Consider Bail and Audio Playback Request
Legal observers note that the bail plea and the accompanying application have been carefully structured to remain within the parameters relevant for bail, without venturing into disputed questions of evidence.
The court is expected to hear the bail application shortly and may also consider the request to direct the CBI to play the alleged audio recording during the hearing to facilitate fair adjudication.
Pregnancy Cited as Independent Medical Ground for Bail
In addition to the merits of the case, the bail application highlights that Prabha Bhandari is pregnant, and that continued incarceration poses serious concerns for her health and medical care.
The plea submits that courts have consistently recognised pregnancy as a relevant humanitarian and medical consideration while deciding bail, particularly where the accused is not required for custodial interrogation and does not pose any risk to the investigation.
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