1 CGHC010248002026 2026:CGHC:29508 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 5883 of 2026 1 - Mandeep Singh S/o Gurmej Singh Aged About 40 Years R/o M.I.G.- 97, Amanaka, Tatibandh District Raipur C.G. --- Applicant(s) versus 1 - State Of Chhattisgarh, Through- Police Station Ganj Raipur C.G. --- Respondent(s) For Applicant (s) : Mr. Rudra Pratap Dubey, Advocate For Respondent(s) : Mr. Ghanshyam Kashyap, Dy.GA (Hon’ble Shri Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) Order on Board 13/07/2026 This is the first application for grant of regular bail filed on behalf of the applicant, who has been arrested in connection with Crime No. 110/2026, registered at Police Station Ganj, District Raipur, for the 2 offences punishable under Section 7 of the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022 and Section 112(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. By way of the present application, the applicant seeks his release on regular bail. 2. The case of the prosecution, in brief, is that on 13.04.2026, while the police personnel of Police Station Ganj were on routine patrolling duty, they received credible secret information that an individual was engaged in online betting on an IPL cricket match through mobile phones from a Honda City car bearing Registration No. CG04/NS/5007, stationed near Nagarao Gali Underbridge. Acting upon the said information, the police conducted a raid and apprehended co- accused Mandeep Singh, who was found inside the said vehicle. During his personal search, one mobile phone and cash amounting to ₹95,000/- were seized. 3. During interrogation, Mandeep Singh, in his memorandum statement, disclosed that he was engaged in online cricket betting through the betting application namely "3 Stumps", and further revealed that co-accused Babu Khemani was the owner and operator of the said online betting platform. He further stated that Kamlesh Dewangan, acting as an agent of Babu Khemani, used to collect the cash generated from the betting activities. He also disclosed the names of Karan Khemani, Brahmanand Khemani, Shrikant Sinha, Vijay Pinjwani, Amit Andani, Harsh Nagdev, Vinod Nara, Akash and Rishikesh, along with their respective mobile numbers, alleging that they were operating online betting panels for IPL cricket matches from 3 Pune, Mumbai and Goa. 4. The investigation further revealed, from the mobile phones seized from co-accused Mandeep Singh and Babu Khemani, electronic records reflecting ID-based transactions and telephonic communications. The call detail records and transaction details further indicated frequent interactions between Kamlesh Dewangan and Karan Khemani, Brahmanand Khemani and Shrikant Sinha through their respective mobile numbers. On the strength of the electronic evidence so collected, the involvement of the accused persons in conducting online gambling and IPL cricket betting was prima facie disclosed, whereupon the present crime was registered and investigation has commenced. 5. During the course of investigation, the memorandum statement of Gulshan @ Babu Khemani was also recorded, wherein he allegedly disclosed the involvement of the present applicants, Vishal Kashyap and Rohit Singh, stating that they were managing cash transactions through various bank accounts. He further disclosed the modus operandi adopted by the syndicate in carrying out online gambling operations, the acquisition of immovable properties at different places, and the respective roles attributed to the other accused persons. Upon completion of investigation, the charge-sheet has been filed. 6. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that, except for the electronic call detail records, no other incriminating material has been collected by the prosecution to connect the applicant with the alleged 4 offence. It is further contended that no forensic or cyber expert report has been brought on record to establish that any incriminating data was extracted from the seized mobile phone so as to implicate the applicant in the commission of the alleged offence. 7. It is further submitted that the applicant has been falsely implicated, which is evident from the photographs annexed with the bail application as Annexure A/3. According to the learned counsel, although the applicant was taken into custody on 13.04.2026, he was formally shown to have been arrested only on 14.04.2026. It is further contended that no monetary transaction has been recovered from the applicant's mobile phone, nor has any amount received through the betting application been shown to have been credited in favour of the applicant. It is also submitted that the applicant has no criminal antecedents of a similar nature; except for one case registered under Sections 294, 323 and 506 IPC, no other criminal case is pending against him. The applicant has remained in judicial custody since 14.04.2026. Since the charge-sheet has already been filed and the case is triable by the Judicial Magistrate First Class, the conclusion of trial is likely to take considerable time. Hence, it is prayed that the applicant be enlarged on bail. 8. Per contra, learned State counsel vehemently opposes the bail application and submits that, acting upon the secret information, the applicant was apprehended by the police, from whom cash amounting to ₹95,000/-, one mobile phone and the aforesaid vehicle were seized. It is further submitted that the electronic data extracted from the 5 applicant's mobile phone disclosed his involvement in the alleged offence in concert with the other accused persons, leading to the arrest of several co-accused. According to the prosecution, the applicant, along with the co-accused, had constituted a well-organized syndicate for operating an online betting application and was actively involved in a large-scale online gambling network. 9. It is further submitted that the bail applications of similarly placed co-accused, namely Fateh Singh Yadav (M.Cr.C. No. 5470 of 2026), Tulsidas Namdev @ Prince (M.Cr.C. No. 5582 of 2026), Shatrughan Kumar Komre (M.Cr.C. No. 5623 of 2026), Sandeep Israni (M.Cr.C. No. 5666 of 2026), Masnun Raja (M.Cr.C. No. 5710 of 2026), Shubham Sitlani (M.Cr.C. No. 5733 of 2026) and Sunny Dewangan (M.Cr.C. No. 5370 of 2026) have already been rejected by this Court vide order dated 06.07.2026. It is, therefore, contended that the case of the present applicant stands on the same footing as that of the aforesaid co-accused and, considering the gravity of the allegations and the organized nature of the syndicate, the applicant does not deserve the concession of bail. 10. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the documents placed on record. 11. Having considered the rival submissions and upon perusal of the material available on record, this Court finds that the memorandum statement of co-accused Gulshan @ Babu Khemani, coupled with the electronic data extracted from the mobile phones of the present 6 applicant as well as the other accused persons, and the seizure of a large number of mobile phones, cheque books, ATM cards, SIM cards and other electronic devices, prima facie indicate the involvement of the present applicant in the alleged online gambling activities. The material collected during investigation further reveals that the alleged online gambling operations were carried out through a well-organized syndicate having an extensive network spread across the States of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Goa, involving numerous accused persons, multiple bank accounts, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets. The allegations disclose a systematic and organized operation involving the transfer of funds generated through online gambling, having a wider impact on the financial and economic system. 12. Considering the gravity and organized nature of the alleged offence, the manner in which the syndicate is stated to have been constituted and operated, and the prima facie material collected during investigation, this Court is not inclined to exercise its discretion in favour of the applicant. Accordingly, the bail application deserves to be, and is hereby, rejected. Sd/- (Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) Judge SUGUNA DUBEY Digitally signed by SUGUNA DUBEY Date: 2026.07.14 19:03:27 +0530