UNION OF INDIA . vs GURINDER SINGH CHEEMA . — Crl.A. No. 891/2000

Case Summary: Union of India v. Gurinder Singh Cheema (Crl.A. 891/2000) Gurinder Singh Cheema, a military officer, was court-martialed and sentenced to four years rigorous imprisonment, cashiered from service, and had his pay forfeited. He filed a writ petition in the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir; the High Court's Division Bench granted him bail on December 7, 1999, with a condition requiring immediate surrender if the writ petition was dismissed. The writ petition was subsequently dismissed for default, and Cheema failed to surrender as required. The Supreme Court disposed of the Union's criminal appeal as infructuous since the underlying writ petition had already been dismissed, making the appeal moot. The Court noted that if the dismissal order were revoked and the matter reheard on merits, the Union could urge all submissions before the High Court, including that the petition should have been registered as criminal rather than civil. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.