1 CGHC010242872026 2026:CGHC:31507 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 5715 of 2026 1 - Anand Badonia S/o- Madhav Lal Bodonia Aged About 39 Years R/o- B-21, Saugat Apartment, Govindpuri, City Center, Gwalior (M.P.) ... Applicant(s) versus 1 - State of Chhattisgarh Through Station House Officer, Police Station Vidhan Sabha District- Raipur (C.G.) ... Respondent(s) For Applicant(s) : Mr. Ajay Kumrani, Advocate For Respondent(s)/State : Mr. Priyank Rathi, G.A. Hon'ble Mr. Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice Order on Board 23.07.2026 1. This is the First bail application filed under Section 483 of Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for grant of regular bail to the applicant who has been arrested in connection with Crime No. 14/2024 registered at Police Station –Vidhan Sabha, District- RUCHI YADAV Digitally signed by RUCHI YADAV 2 Raipur (C.G.), for the offence punishable under Section 420 of IPC. 2. As per the prosecution case, the complainant, Kapil Daswani, lodged a written report alleging that, during the period from 12.11.2023 to 23.11.2023, an unknown person contacted him and lured him into working from home in an online ticket booking business. It is alleged that the complainant initially received some profit, but was subsequently induced to transfer a total amount of ₹15,77,797/- on the promise of higher returns, whereupon he was allegedly cheated. Pursuant to the said report and during the course of investigation, the present offence came to be registered against the applicant. 3. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case. It is further submitted that, although an amount of ₹2,98,902/- is alleged to have been credited to the company's account, the applicant was merely one of the Directors of the company and the said account was being jointly operated by another Director, namely, Vivek Sagar Agrawal. The applicant had no role in the alleged transaction. It is also submitted that the applicant has no criminal antecedents and has remained in judicial custody since 23.01.2026. As the trial is likely to take considerable time to conclude, it is prayed that the applicant be enlarged on regular bail. 3 4. Learned State counsel opposes the bail application and submits that as per the affidavit filed by the Investigating Officer, cogent material collected during the course of investigation prima facie establishes the involvement of the applicant in the commission of the alleged offence. It is submitted that the applicant was operating the bank account used for receiving the proceeds of cyber fraud, has admitted the relevant facts in his memorandum statement and is a beneficiary of the fraudulent transactions. It is further submitted that several cyber crime complaints from different States are linked to the said bank account, indicating the applicant's involvement in an organized cyber fraud syndicate. Considering the serious nature of the economic offence and the material available on record, it is prayed that the bail application be rejected. 5. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the material available on record. 6. Upon perusal of other material available on record, this Court finds that as per the material collected during the course of investigation, prima facie the applicant appears to have been actively involved in the alleged offence. The affidavit filed by the Investigating Officer indicates that the bank account allegedly used for receiving the proceeds of cyber fraud was being operated by the applicant and that he is a beneficiary of the fraudulent transactions. The investigation has further revealed 4 that several cyber crime complaints from different States are linked to the said bank account, indicating the applicant's prima facie involvement in an organized cyber fraud syndicate. Considering the serious nature of the allegations, the magnitude of the alleged fraud, the material collected during investigation, and without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, this Court is not inclined to extend the benefit of bail to the applicant. Accordingly, the bail application preferred by the applicant Anand Badonia, in connection with Crime No.14/2024 registered at Police Station –Vidhan Sabha, District- Raipur (C.G.), for the offence punishable under Section 420 of IPC, deserves to be and is hereby rejected at this stage. 7. Needless to say that the trial Court concerned is at liberty to proceed and conclude the trial expeditiously. 8. The Office is directed to provide a certified copy of this order to the trial Court for necessary information and compliance forthwith. Sd/- (Ramesh Sinha) CHIEF JUSTICE Ruchi