1 2026:CGHC:22144 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 3662 of 2026 1 - Satyam Keshari S/o Uday Prasad Keshari Aged About 26 Years R/o Sattipara Near Sharda Vidyapeeth School, Ambikapur, P.S. Ambikapur District- Surguja (C.G.) ... Applicant(s) versus 1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through Station House Officer, Police Station . Ambikapur District- Surguja (C.G.) ... Non-applicant(s) For Applicant(s) : Mr. Shakti Raj Sinha, Advocate. For Non-applicant(s) : Ms. Supriya Upasane, Govt. Advocate. Hon'ble Shri Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, J. Order on Board 11/05/2026 1. This is the first bail application filed by the applicant under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. The applicant has been arrested on 10.09.2025 in connection with Crime No. 325/2024 registered at Police Station Ambikapur, District Surguja, for offences punishable under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC, Sections 7 and 8 of the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022, Digitally signed by ALOK SHARMA Date: 2026.05.21 11:31:17 +0530 2 and Sections 66-C and 66-D of the Information Technology Act, 2000. 2. The case of the prosecution is that on 13.05.2024, the police of Police Station Ambikapur, while on patrolling duty, received secret information that the accused persons, namely Ayush Sinha @ Deep Sinha, Amit Mishra @ Pahlu and Shubham Keshari, were engaged in online gambling by providing links of “Skyexchange” and betting on the IPL cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders near Alam Bagh, Nawagarh, Ambikapur. When the police conducted a raid and found the aforesaid accused persons engaged in playing online gambling activities. During interrogation, their mobile phones were seized, from which sufficient evidence relating to online gambling was extracted, including WhatsApp chats and PhonePe transaction details, whereupon relevant transcription and panchnama were prepared. From the possession of the accused persons, a total of 19 mobile phones, three passbooks, two cheque books, 21 ATM cards, cash amounting to Rs. 20,100/-, and other relevant documents were seized. The relevant bank transactions has also been recovered by the police from the mobile phones of the accused persons. From the memorandum statement of Amit Mishra @ Pahlu, the involvement of the present applicant, namely Satyam Keshari, along with other accused persons, was disclosed. It has also been disclosed that the present applicant was involved in providing customers as well as bank accounts for monetary transactions connected with the online gambling activities. Thereafter, the FIR was registered, the accused persons were arrested, and after completion of investigation, the charge-sheet has been filed. 3 3. Learned counsel appearing for the applicant would submit that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the offence. There is no legally admissible evidence against the applicant that he is also involved in online gambling with other co-accused persons. There is no allegation against the present applicant that he was also involved in playing online gambling, but the allegation against him is that he provided customers and bank accounts to the other accused persons. There is no involvement of the present applicant in use of any betting App or engagement in betting activities through mobile phone. He would also submit that the co-accused Dhruvil Patel has been granted bail by the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide order dated 05.01.2026 passed in Criminal Appeal No. 46/2026, and the co-accused Ritik Mandilwar @ Bamfod has also been granted bail by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in SLP (Crl.) No. 2255/2026 vide order dated 09.02.2026. The allegation against the present applicant is also similar to that against Dhruvil Patel and Ritik Mandilwar @ Bamfod, therefore, he is also entitled to be released on bail. He would also submit that the applicant is in jail since 10.09.2025, charge-sheet has been filed, and no custodial interrogation is required. The final adjudication of the case will take its own time, therefore, he may be enlarged on bail. 4. On the other hand, learned counsel appearing for the State opposes the submissions made by learned counsel for the applicant and submits that, from the mobile phone of the present applicant as well as other co-accused persons, sufficient data has been extracted which reflects the involvement of the present applicant in the offence in question. The allegation against the present applicant is that he provided customers and bank accounts for money transactions with 4 respect to online gambling. All the accused persons prepared a syndicate and played specific roles in commission of the offence. From the screenshots of the mobile phones seized from the accused persons, their involvement in the offence in question is clearly reflected. Seizure of such a number of ATM cards, mobile phones, passbooks, cheque books, also makes the activities of the applicant suspicious. He would also submits that the applicant is having one criminal antecedent of the similar nature of offence which is of the year 2026 itself. It is an organized crime in which the applicant was also actively involved, therefore, he is not entitled for bail. 5. I have heard learned counsel for the parties, perused the material annexed with the bail application and also gone through the case diary. 6. Considering the submissions made by learned counsel for the parties, considering the nature of allegation, role of the applicant in the syndicate of the accused persons who allegedly engaged in online gambling, data extracted from the mobile phones of the accused persons, including the present applicant, the bank transaction details available in the case diary, screenshots of the mobile phones and passbooks seized from the accused persons, transaction of money to the applicant Satyam Keshari from the account of Amit Kumar Mishra, who is one of the co-accused in the case, and the role of the applicant in the syndicate for commission of the offence of online gambling, providing customers and passbooks for money circulation, impact of online gambling on the society, and the entire material available in the case diary, I am not inclined to release the applicant on bail. It is a syndicate offence having various facets and thus affects the economy 5 of the country. A huge number of mobile phones and ATM cards have been seized from the accused persons and, thus, the applicant is not entitled for bail. 7. Accordingly, the bail application filed by the applicant, namely Satyam Keshari , is hereby rejected. Sd/- (Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) Judge Alok