- 1 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22769 CRL.P No. 8468 of 2025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 27TH DAY OF JUNE, 2025 BEFORE THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE S VISHWAJITH SHETTY CRIMINAL PETITION NO. 8468 OF 2025 BETWEEN: VINOD V AGED ABOUT 35 YEARS S/O VIRUPAKSHA R/AT ADARSHA NAGAR NELAMANGALA TALUK ARASINAKUNT BANGALORE RURAL - 562 123. …PETITIONER (BY SRI PARAMESHWAR N HEGDE, ADV.) AND: STATE OF KARNATAKA BY MANDYA WEST POLICE STATION - 571 401, REP BY ITS STATE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA BANGALORE - 01. …RESPONDENT (BY SRI RAJAT SUBRAMANYAM, HCGP) THIS CRL.P IS FILED U/S 438 CR.P.C (U/S 482 BNSS) PRAYING TO DIRECT THE RESPONDENT POLICE TO ENLARGE THE PETITIONER ON ANTICIPATORY BAIL IN THE EVENT OF HIS ARREST IN CR.NO.21/2025, ON THE FILE OF RESPONDENT MANDYA WEST P.S., FOR THE OFFENCES P/U/S 420,467,468,471 OF IPC, PENDING ON THE FILE OF PRL. CIVIL JUDGE (SR.DN) AND CJM COURT, MANDYA DISTRICT, MANDYA. Digitally signed by NANDINI M S Location: HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA - 2 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22769 CRL.P No. 8468 of 2025 THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE MR JUSTICE S VISHWAJITH SHETTY ORAL ORDER 1. Accused No.1 in Crime No.21/2025 registered by Mandya West Police Station, Mandya, for the offences punishable under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of IPC, is before this Court under Section 482 of BNSS, 2023, seeking anticipatory bail. 2. Heard the learned counsel for the parties. 3. FIR in Crime No.21/2025 was registered by Mandya West Police Station, Mandya, for the aforesaid offences against petitioner and others based on the first information dated 12.02.2025 received from Ravindra K R. Apprehending arrest in the case, petitioner had filed Crl.Misc.No.115/2025 before the jurisdictional Sessions Court which was rejected on 14.05.2025. Therefore, he is before this Court. 4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that petitioner had filed an application seeking appointment to the post of Project Manager at Nirmithi Kendra, Mandya and subsequently, - 3 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22769 CRL.P No. 8468 of 2025 it was found that M. Tech marks card produced by the petitioner along with his application seeking appointment was a fraudulent document. It is under these circumstance, FIR has been registered against the petitioner. He has referred to the Notification issued by the Karnataka State Open University dated 11.12.2015 and submits that petitioner's master degree is saved under the said Notification. However, there is some misunderstanding. Petitioner is ready and willing to cooperate with the police for the purpose of investigation. Accordingly, he prays to allow the petition. 5. Per contra, learned HCGP has opposed the petition. He submits that petitioner has applied for a responsible post in the Government Office and has produced fraudulent documents in support of his candidature. Therefore, his custodial interrogation is required. Accordingly, he prays to dismiss the petition. 6. In the first information, it is stated that petitioner had filed an application seeking appointment to the post of Project Manager at Nirmithi Kendra, Mandya and along with his application, he had submitted his post graduate marks card (M. - 4 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22769 CRL.P No. 8468 of 2025 Tech in Civil Engineering). It is further averred that on verification, it was found that the post graduate marks card of the petitioner was a fraudulent document. 7. The master degree certificate of the petitioner produced along with the petition would go to show that he has passed his master degree in the year 2016. In the Notification issued in the year 2015 by the Karnataka State Open University, which has issued the master degree to the petitioner, it is stated that University has discontinued certain academic programmes of its and the students studying in 2nd to 8th semester and 2nd to 4th year will not be affected. From the master degree certificate of the petitioner, it appears that he was studying in his final year during the academic year 2015-16. Petitioner, who has no other criminal antecedents has undertaken to cooperate with the police for the purpose of investigation. The alleged offences are not exclusively punishable with death or life imprisonment. The alleged offences are triable by the Court of Magistrate and the maximum punishment for the alleged offences is imprisonment for a period of seven years. Considering the aforesaid aspects of the matter, I am of the opinion that the - 5 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22769 CRL.P No. 8468 of 2025 prayer made by the petitioner for grant of anticipatory bail needs to be answered affirmatively. Accordingly, the following order:- 8. The petition is allowed. The respondent - Police or any other police in the State of Karnataka are directed to release the petitioner in the event of his arrest in Crime No.21/2025 registered by Mandya West Police Station, Mandya, for the offences punishable under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of IPC, subject to the following conditions: 1. The Petitioner shall appear before the Investigating Officer on 05.07.2025 at 10.00 a.m. and shall execute a personal bond for a sum of Rs.1,00,000/- with two sureties for the likesum to the satisfaction of the investigating officer. 2. Petitioner shall regularly appear before the Trial Court without fail unless exempted by the Trial Court for valid reasons. 3. Petitioner shall not tamper with the prosecution witnesses and he shall co-operate with the police for investigation and appear before them whenever called upon. - 6 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22769 CRL.P No. 8468 of 2025 4. The petitioner shall not involve in similar offences in future. Sd/- (S VISHWAJITH SHETTY) JUDGE DN