Bathinda, Jan. 20 -- Three months after a Bathinda court framed charges against five persons, including parents of the main accused Mukul Mittal, for their roles in the alleged murder of a 19-year-old girl from Maur in Bathinda, the Punjab and Haryana high court has granted bail to the parents. Disposing of two petitions, justice Surya Pratap Singh on January 8 allowed regular bail to Ravi Kumar and his wife, Dimple Rani. Both had been in judicial custody for over nine months. In the twin judgments, justice Singh observed that as per the special investigation team (SIT) of Bathinda police, both accused "were not actively involved in the commission of the offence of murder". "Trial is not likely to be concluded in the near future. Nothing is left to be recovered from the possession of the petitioners. There is nothing on record to show that if released on bail, the petitioners may tamper with the evidence, influence the witnesses or will not cooperate/participate in the trial," read the two separate orders. A trial court in Bathinda will hear the main case on February 10 to record statements of the prosecution witnesses. The case dates back to March 9, 2025, when the 19-year-old girl, who was hailing from Maur in Bathinda and studying in a Chandigarh-based college, went missing soon after reaching her home town. Her body was recovered three days later by a team from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), triggering public outcry and, subsequently, the formation of two SITs by the Bathinda police authorities. Subsequently, an FIR was registered in Maur under Sections 140(3) (abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person), 137(2) (kidnapping) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and a murder charge was added after the recovery of the body from a canal. The main accused, Mukul, his parents and uncle Raj Kumar were arrested on March 11. Mukul's friends Karan and Raghav were arrested on March 11 and 12, respectively, however, were granted bail on July 4. The Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to a 16-year-old accused on June 19. Initially, the victim's father and complainant had told police that his daughter called her mother claiming she had been abducted and faced a sexual assault attempt. However, in a revised statement to the SIT headed by superintendent of police (city) Narinder Singh, the complainant said his earlier remarks (of rape) were made "in a huff" and claimed the girl was forcibly held at Mukul's residence between 8.30 pm and 1.30 am on the night of the incident. The SIT had submitted a challan in court in June last year, where, on the basis of the probe, charges of conspiracy and abduction were dropped against all seven accused. In its bail order, the High Court quoted records stating that on March 10, 2025, Mukul and the deceased girl left Mukul's house on a motorcycle at 1.39 am, which was confirmed via CCTV footage. "Both were seen roaming at different locations near Maur Mandi and Maur Khurd, crossing the Talwandi-Maur bridge, proceeding via Talwandi road, and reaching the canal track near Maur Khurd village, eventually arriving at the Kotla Branch canal headworks. There, after dismounting from the motorcycle, they were seen talking," reads the bail order. "An argument reportedly took place between Mukul and the deceased regarding Mukul's plan to move to Pune for further studies. Following this argument, Mukul admitted during interrogation that he pushed the girl into the canal, leading to her death," it further reads, quoting the chargesheet, making points that Mukul's parents Raj Kumar and Dimple had no direct role in the crime....