1 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 2588 of 2026 Rahul Kushwaha S/o Anil Kushwaha Aged About 30 Years R/o Rajbandha, Post Salka, P.S. Udaypur, District Surguja (Cg) Prsent R/o Village Ganeshpur (Palas Rai Rented House) P.S. Jainagar District Surajpur (Cg) ... Applicant versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through The Station House Officer Police Station Jainagar, District Surajpur (Cg) ... Respondent For Applicant : Mr. Sanjeev Verma, Adv. For Respondent/State : Mr. Akash Agrawal, P.L. Hon'ble Shri Justice Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal Order On Board 30/03/2026 1. The applicant has preferred this 1st bail application under Section 483 of Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita Act 2023 for grant of regular bail as he is arrested in connection with crime No. 258/2025, registered at Police Station – Jainagar, District- Surajpur (C.G.) for offence punishable under Sections 103(1) of BNS. 2. The prosecution's case, in brief, is that on 26.10.2025, the complainant, Hukum Say Rajwade, appeared at the Police Outpost and lodged an oral report stating that his wife, Smt. Surmila Rajwade, had gone to Ambikapur on 25.10.2025 to sell vegetables. He noted that she typically returned home from Ambikapur around 9:00–10:00 PM; however, she did not return on that day. On the morning of 26.10.2025, around 7:00 AM, his younger son informed him that Surmila's body was lying in a ditch near Sonwahi Chowk. Upon proceeding to the spot with other villagers to investigate, he found the deceased's body lying there; blood was visible near her ear, her hair was disheveled and scattered, SHUBHAM SINGH RAGHUVANSHI Digitally signed by SHUBHAM SINGH RAGHUVANSHI Date: 2026.03.30 18:12:46 +0530 2 and her clothes were strewn about. Based on the complainant's report, a case was registered. During the subsequent police investigation, when the Investigating Officer interrogated the accused, Rahul, the accused confessed to committing the crime. In his confessional statement, the accused admitted that on the day of incident 25.10.2025, while returning from Ambikapur in an auto-rickshaw, he had given a ride to the deceased, Surmila Rajwade. He further confessed that around 10:30 PM at Sonwahi Chowk, when he attempted to establish sexual relations with her and she resisted his advances, he murdered her by strangling her and physically assaulting her. Based on above, offence has been registered against the applicant and he was arrested on 30.10.2025. 3. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the crime in question. Only on the basis of memorandum statement of the applicant, he has been implicated. He is in jail since 30.10.2025, out of 21 prosecution witnesses, none examined till date and the trial is likely to take time to be finalized, therefore, it is prayed that the applicant may be enlarged on bail. 4. Per contra, learned Counsel appearing on behalf of the State opposes the bail application and submits that the auto-rickshaw used in the incident along with blood stained trousers and shirt worn by the accused during the crime, as well as the deceased's Aadhaar card, purse and 70 in cash recovered from inside the auto-rickshaw, were ₹ seized upon being produced by the accused/applicant. 5. I have heard learned Counsel appearing for the parties and perused the material available on record. 6. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and evidence collected by the prosecution against the applicant, without commenting on merits of the case, I am not inclined to release the applicant on bail. 7. Accordingly, the bail application is rejected. Sd/- (Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal) Judge Shubham