1 CGHC010252972026 2026:CGHC:28255 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRCA No. 1046 of 2026 • Sumit Kumar S/o Shri Pramod Kumar Sinha Aged About 34 Years Suspended General Assistant District Cooperative Central Bank Maryadit Ambikapur, R/o Village Kamalpur, Near Atal Chauk P.S. Jainagar, Tah. Surajpur, Distt- Surajpur (C.G.) ... Applicant(s) versus • State of Chhattisgarh Through Police Station Sitapur, District- Sarguja (C.G.) ... Respondent(s) For Applicant(s) : Mr. Manoj Kumar Sinha, Advocate For Respondent(s) : Mr. Sumit Singh, Dy.A.G. Hon’ble Mr. Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice Order on Board 08/07/2026 1. This is First anticipatory bail application under Section 482 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 has been filed by the applicant, who is apprehending his arrest in connection with Crime No.188/2026 registered at Police Station – Sitapur, District- Surguja (Ambikapur) (C.G.) for the offences punishable under Sections 318, 316(5), 61(2) and 3(5) of BNS, 2023. 2. Prosecution case in brief is that the forged agricultural loans were allegedly sanctioned and disbursed in the names of 127 farmers of Adim Jati Sewa Sahakari Samiti, Kerju, resulting in an alleged embezzlement of Rs.1,92,82,096/-. On the basis of an internal VAISHALI LUCKY NAGARIA Digitally signed by VAISHALI LUCKY NAGARIA Date: 2026.07.09 18:13:22 +0530 2 enquiry conducted by the Cooperative Bank, the present applicant along with other accused persons has been implicated in the FIR. 3. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the applicant is innocent and he has been falsely implicated in the present case. He would submit that applicant has not committed any offence as alleged in the FIR and there is no material to show his active participation in the alleged commission of the offences. He also submits that the applicant was appointed as General Assistant in the District Cooperative Central bank only on 10.12.2024 and joined his duties in 17.12.2024, whereas the alleged fraudulent transactions, as reflected from the prosecution case, commenced from the year 2022, much prior to his appointment, therefore applicant cannot be held responsible for transactions which took place before his joining. He further submits that the applicant was merely working as a General Assistant/Clerk and was discharging his officials duties under the supervision and instructions of the Branch Manager and other Superior Officers. He neither possessed any independent authority to sanction or disburse agricultural loans nor exercised any control over the approval process. Further more investigation and trial are likely to take time, therefore, he submits that the present applicant is entitled to be released on anticipatory bail. 4. On the other hand, learned State counsel opposed the prayer for grant of anticipatory bail and submits that the present case pertains to a large-scale financial fraud involving the fraudulent sanction and disbursement of agricultural loans in the names of 127 farmers of Adim Jati Sewa Sahakari Samiti, Kerju, resulting in an alleged embezzlement of Rs.1,92,82,096/-. It is further submitted that, on the basis of an internal enquiry conducted by the Cooperative Bank, 3 the present applicant, along with other co-accused persons, has been found prima facie involved in the commission of the offence. 5. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the case diary. 6. Considering the nature and gravity of the allegations, the magnitude of the alleged financial loss, the material collected during the investigation indicating the applicant's involvement, and the requirement of a fair and effective investigation, therefore I am not inclined to grant anticipatory bail to the applicant. Accordingly, the application deserves to be, and is hereby, rejected. 7. Accordingly, the anticipatory bail application of the applicant– Sumit Kumar filed under Section 482 of Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 involved in Crime No.188/2026 registered at Police Station – Sitapur, District- Surguja (Ambikapur) (C.G.) for the offences punishable under Sections 318, 316(5), 61(2) and 3(5) of BNS, 2023, is rejected. Sd/- (Ramesh Sinha) Chief Justice vaishali