2026:CGHC:25244 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 4495 of 2026 Sanjay Taktani S/o Lakhan Lal Taktani Aged About 40 Years R/o Shreeji Kachnaar, Amlidih, Raipur, Tahsil And District Raipur Chhattisgarh ... Applicant(s) versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through Police Station - Telibandha, District Raipur Chhattisgarh ... Respondent(s) (Cause title is taken from the CIS) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ For Applicant : Shri Aakash Ahuja, Advocate For Respondent/State : Ms Richa Sahu, PL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hon'ble Shri Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal Order on Board 19.06.2026 1. Heard on the application filed under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS, 2023). This is the first bail application before this Court filed by the applicant for grant of regular bail. 2. The applicant has been arrested on 09.03.2026 in connection with Crime No.112 of 2026, registered at PS-Telibandha, District-Raipur, Chhattisgarh for the offence punishable under Section 4A of the Public Gambling Act, 1867 and Section 7 of the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022. Mcrc 4495 of 2026 2 3. Case of the prosecution is that on 08.03.2026, Police of Police Station Telibandha, District-Raipur received secret information that at Gali No.2, Telibandha, one Dharmu @ Dharmendra Pohani is playing online gambling in T-20 World Cup Cricket Match and engaged in betting with various persons. On being received secret information, they conducted raid at the informed place and apprehended Dharmu @ Dharmendra Pohani and from him, one mobile phone and Rs.5,000/- cash have been seized. From his mobile phone, the betting App of kingdombooks.com was detected. On being interrogated, he disclosed the involvement in the online gambling with various persons, including the present applicant-Sanjay Taktani and also disclosed that present applicant provided him the ID for playing online gambling and he also prepared his own ID in name of jmdbet777.com and he too is engaged in online gambling. It has also been informed that present applicant informed him about the involvement of Rahul Aslani and Abhay Sharma, by providing his own ID. From the present applicant, two mobile phones and Rs.3,200/- has been seized. FIR has been registered and the present applicant also been arrested and after investigation, charge- sheet has been filed. 4. Learned counsel for the applicant would submit that applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the case. His name reflected only in the memorandum statement of the co-accused Dharmu @ Dharmendra Pohani. Mobile phone seized from the applicant was not sent for its Cyber examination and there is no report that there is any Mcrc 4495 of 2026 3 incriminating data available in the said mobile phone. Screen shot of the mobile phone cannot be considered to be sufficient evidence, to show involvement of the applicant in the offence in question. Investigation of the case is completed and charge- sheet has been filed. Final adjudication of the case will take its own time. Hence, he may be released on regular bail. 5. On the other hand, learned counsel for the state opposed and submitted that from the mobile phone seized from the applicant, relevant data has been recovered including screen shot in which involvement of the applicant in the offence in question with respect to the aforesaid link has been found. There are other accused persons, and they formed a network to play online gambling and formed a syndicate for the same. He would also submit that the applicant is having three criminal antecedents of the year 2021 and 2025 of the same nature of offence, in which present applicant has been convicted and fine has been imposed upon him. Therefore, looking to the gravity of the offence and the past criminal antecedents of the applicant, he is not entitled for regular bail. 6. Heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the case diary. 7. Considering the submissions made by the learned counsel for the parties, also considering the nature of offence and the evidence available against the applicant in the charge sheet, further considering the screen shot taken out from the mobile phone of the applicant, statement of the witnesses Mukesh Godwani and Baldev Soni and that the applicant is Mcrc 4495 of 2026 4 having past criminal antecedents in which he has been convicted, which are of the year 2021 and 2025 respectively, I am not inclined to release the applicant on bail. 8. Accordingly, the bail application of the applicant-Sanjay Taktani, s/o Lakhan Lal Taktani is dismissed. Certified copy as per rules. Sd/- (Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) JUDGE padma Digitally signed by V PADMAVATHI Date: 2026.06.25 14:25:28 +0530