- 1 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 8TH DAY OF JULY, 2026 BEFORE THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE S VISHWAJITH SHETTY CRIMINAL PETITION NO. 7398 OF 2026 BETWEEN: PRAVEEN SINGH S/O SATYA NARAYANA SINGH AGED ABOUT 42 YEARS R/AT NO.305, SVS PARADISE 6TH CROSS, ALPHA GARDEN KODIGEHALLI MAIN ROAD AIYAPPA NAGARA, DEVASANDRA BENGALURU - 36, AS PER FIR PRAVEEN SINGH SVS PARADISE APARTMENT K.R. PURAM, BENGALURU CITY. …PETITIONER (BY SRI BIPIN HEGDE, ADV., FOR SRI PRATHEEP K.C, ADV.) AND: 1. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA REP. BY HAL POLICE STATION BENGALURU DISTRICT REP. BY ITS STATE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA, BENGALURU - 560 001. 2. SMT. PADMAVATHI W/O SATHISH SINGH AGED ABOUT 43 YEARS R/AT NO. 002, CSR MARVEL MLA LAYOUT KALENA AGRAHARA BANGALORE - 76. …RESPONDENTS (BY SRI VINAY MAHADEVAIAH, HCGP FOR R-1; SMT. SAHLA NECHIYIL, ADV., FOR R-2) Digitally signed by NANDINI M S Location: HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA - 2 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 THIS CRL.P IS FILED U/S 439 CR.PC (FILED U/S 483 BNNS) PRAYING TO ENLARGE THE PETITIONER ON BAIL IN CRIME. NO. 402/2025 PENDING ON THE FILE OF HON'BLE XXIX ACJM AT MAYO HALL, FOR THE OFFENSES PUNISHABLE U/S 103(1), 238 OF BNS BY HAL POLICE. THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE S VISHWAJITH SHETTY ORAL ORDER 1. Accused no.1 in Crime No.402/2025 registered by HAL Police Station, Bengaluru City, for the offences punishable under Sections 108, 238 read with 3(5) of BNS, 2023, is before this Court in this petition filed under Section 483 of BNSS, 2023, seeking regular bail. 2. Heard the learned Counsel for the parties. 3. FIR in Crime No.402/2025 was registered by HAL Police Station, Bengaluru City, for the offences punishable under Sections 103(1), 238 of BNS, 2023, against the petitioner and three others based on the first information dated 23.08.2025 received from respondent no.2 - Padmavathi.S., who is the mother of deceased Suhasi Singh. In the said case, petitioner was arrested on 27.03.2026 and remanded to judicial custody. His bail application filed before the jurisdictional Sessions Court - 3 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 in Crl. Misc. No.3344/2026 was rejected on 21.05.2026. Therefore, petitioner is before this Court. 4. Learned Counsel for the petitioner having reiterated the grounds urged in the petition, submits that Suhasi Singh had committed suicide on 13.01.2025, and thereafter, FIR in Crime No.14/2025 was registered by HAL Police Station on 13.01.2025 for the offences punishable under Sections 108, 3(5) of BNS, 2023 based on the first information submitted by respondent no.2 herein. In the said case, petitioner was arrested. This Court in W.P.No.1390/2025 disposed of on 17.02.2025 quashed the remand order of the petitioner in Crime No.14/2025, and thereafter, he was released from custody. He submits that subsequently, accused in Crime No.14/2025 had approached this Court in Crl.P.No.10982/2025 and Crl.P.No.1821/2025. This Court allowed the said petition and quashed the FIR in Crime No.14/2025 reserving liberty to the first informant to file a fresh complaint. Subsequently, the first informant had filed fresh complaint which has resulted in registration of FIR in Crime No.402/2025 for the offences punishable under Section 103(1), 238 of BNS, 2023. After - 4 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 completing investigation, charge sheet is now filed for the offences punishable under Sections 108, 238 read with 3(5) of BNS, 2023. Accordingly, he prays to allow the petition. 5. Per contra, learned HCGP and the learned Counsel for respondent no.2 have opposed the bail petition. Learned Counsel for respondent no.2 submits that the prosecution has collected sufficient material to establish the guilt of the accused. He submits that in the event the petitioner is enlarged on bail, he may tamper with the material witnesses. Accordingly, he prays to dismiss the petition. 6. Perusal of the material on record would go to show that the petitioner's wife Sandhya Singh is the sister of Satish Singh who is the husband of the first informant. Deceased Suhasi Singh is the daughter of the first informant and Satish Singh. It appears that deceased was often visiting to the house of the petitioner who is her uncle and was spending time with them. On 12.01.2025, first informant had received telephone call and was informed that her daughter who had sustained grievous burn injuries, was admitted in Victoria Hospital. Subsequently, Suhasi Singh died in the hospital while undergoing treatment. - 5 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 On the next date i.e., on 13.01.2025, the first informant had approached the police alleging that she had information that petitioner had obscene photos and videos of the deceased in his mobile phone and he was threatening her, and therefore, she had committed suicide. It is under these circumstances, FIR was registered in Crime No.14/2025 by the HAL Police Station against the petitioner and his wife for the offence punishable under Sections 108 read with 3(5) of BNS, 2023. 7. In the said case, petitioner who was arrested, had approached this Court in W.P.No.1390/2025 and the coordinate bench of this Court had allowed the said writ petition and quashed the remand application of the petitioner in Crime No.14/2025 on the ground that he was not served with the grounds of arrest which is the mandatory requirement of law. After the petitioner was released from custody in Crime No.14/2025, he and his wife had approached this Court in Crl.P.No.10982/2025 and Crl.P.No.1821/2025 under Section 528 of BNSS, 2023, with a prayer to quash the entire proceedings in Crime No.14/2025 as against them. - 6 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 8. The coordinate bench of this Court by order dated 15.07.2025 disposed of Crl.P.No.1821/2025 and quashed the FIR in Crime No.14/2025 registered by HAL Police Station for the offences punishable under Sections 108 read with 3(5) of BNS, 2023, reserving liberty to respondent no.2 herein/defacto complainant to file a fresh complaint before the concerned police and a direction was issued to investigate such complaint by any other Investigation Officer other than the Investigation Officer who had conducted investigation in Crime No.14/2025. It is under these circumstances, the first informant had once again approached HAL Police Station on 23.08.2025 and based on her first information, FIR in Crime No.402/2025 for the offences punishable under Sections 103(1), 238 of BNS, 2023, was registered. 9. In the said case, petitioner was arrested on 27.03.2026 and remanded to judicial custody. The police after completing investigation, have now filed charge sheet for the offences punishable under Sections 108, 238 read with 3(5) of BNS, 2023. It is relevant to note here that petitioner was earlier arrested in Crime No.14/2025 with the allegations which are - 7 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 similar to the allegations found in the charge sheet filed in the present case. He was released from custody in Crime No.14/2025 pursuant to the order passed by the coordinate bench of this Court in W.P.No.1390/2025, wherein this Court had quashed the remand application of the petitioner in Crime No.14/2025 for the reason that the police had not served/communicated the grounds of arrest on the petitioner. 10. In Crl.P.No.1821/2025, a statement is made by respondent no.2/defacto complainant and her advocate seeking permission to withdraw the complaint in Crime No.14/2025 on the ground that the said complaint was forcibly taken by the police from her and liberty was sought to file a fresh complaint. It is under these circumstances, Crl.P.No.1821/2025 was disposed of quashing the FIR in Crime No.14/2025 granting liberty as aforesaid. Thereafter, the defacto complainant had completely changed her version and had submitted the first information which had resulted in registering Crime No.402/2025 for the offences punishable under Sections 103(1), 238 of BNS, 2023. Petitioner, who was released from custody in Crime No.14/2025 after his remand order was - 8 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 quashed by the coordinate bench of this Court in W.P.No.1390/2025, was once again taken to custody in Crime No.402/2025 on 27.03.2026 and ever since then, he is in custody. 11. The police after completing investigation, have now filed charge sheet for the offences punishable under Section 108 & 238 of BNS, 2023. From the aforesaid, it is apparent that after the remand order of the petitioner in Crime No.14/2025 was quashed by this Court in W.P.No.1390/2025, in order to circumvent the said order, the complaint in Crime No.14/2025 was withdrawn by the first informant in Crl.P.No.1821/2025 and a fresh complaint was filed on 23.08.2025 making altogether different allegations which had resulted in registration of FIR in Crime No.402/2025 for the offences punishable under Sections 103(1) and 238 of BNS, 2023. 11. Under the circumstances, I am of the opinion that the petitioner who was released from custody pursuant to quashing of his remand order in Crime No.14/2025 by the coordinate bench of this Court in W.P.No.1390/2025, is entitled to be released on bail in the present case. Even otherwise, the - 9 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 charge sheet is now filed only for the offences punishable under Sections 108, 238 read with 3(5) of BNS, 2023. The said offences are not punishable either with death or life imprisonment. The allegations found in the charge sheet are required to be proved in a full-fledged trial. Undisputedly, the petitioner has no criminal antecedents. Investigation of the case is completed and charge sheet is filed. The apprehension expressed by the learned Counsel for respondent no.2 can be taken care of by imposing appropriate conditions. Accordingly, the following order: 12. The petition is allowed. The petitioner is directed to be enlarged on bail in Crime No.402/2025 registered by HAL Police Station, Bengaluru City, for the offences punishable under Sections 108, 238 read with 3(5) of BNS, 2023, subject to the following conditions: a) Petitioner shall execute personal bond for a sum of Rs.1,00,000/- with two sureties for the likesum, to the satisfaction of the jurisdictional Court; b) The petitioner shall appear regularly on all the dates of hearing before the Trial Court unless the - 10 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:34408 CRL.P No. 7398 of 2026 Trial Court exempts his appearance for valid reasons; c) The petitioner shall not directly or indirectly threaten or tamper with the prosecution witnesses; d) The petitioner shall not involve in similar offences in future. Sd/- (S VISHWAJITH SHETTY) JUDGE KK