1 CGHC010260682026 2026:CGHC:32144 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 6426 of 2026 1 - Raghuveer Verma S/o Faguram Verma Aged About 23 Years R/o Village Baiharsari, Out Post Pondi, Police Station, Bodla, District Kabirdham C.G. ... Applicant(s) versus 1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through- Station House Officer, Out Post, Pondi, Police Station, Bodla District Kabirdham C.G. ... Respondent(s) For Applicant (s) : Mr.Chandrikaditya Pandey, Advocate For Respondent/State : Ms. Richa Sahu, PL (Hon’ble Shri Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) Order on Board 27/07/2026 The present is the first bail application preferred by the applicant under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for grant of bail. The applicant was arrested on 09.06.2026 in connection with Crime No. 57/2026, registered at Police Station Bodla, Outpost 2 Pondi, District Kabirdham, for the offences punishable under Sections 6 and 7 of the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022. 2. The prosecution case, in brief, is that on 24.05.2026, the police personnel of Police Station Bodla, Outpost Pondi, received credible secret information that the applicant, a resident of Village Beharsari, was engaged in conducting online cricket betting through mobile phones with the intent of deriving unlawful pecuniary gain. Acting upon the said information, a raid was conducted at the specified location. Upon examination of the applicant's mobile phone, two applications relating to online cricket betting were found installed, and the applicant was allegedly found to be actively participating in online cricket betting through the said applications. 3. During the course of investigation, the co-accused persons disclosed that one of the co-accused had provided the betting ID "KPR- 8807" for facilitating online gambling activities. It was further alleged that multiple financial transactions pertaining to the online gambling operations had been routed through the mobile phone and bank account linked to co-accused Rakesh Verma, bearing mobile No. 6267757221. Consequently, the FIR came to be registered, the applicant was arrested, and upon completion of the investigation, the charge-sheet has been filed. 3. Learned counsel appearing for the applicant submits that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case. It is contended that the charge-sheet does not disclose any 3 independent material connecting the applicant with the alleged offence. It is further submitted that no cyber forensic examination report in respect of the applicant's mobile phone has been collected to establish his alleged involvement in the online gambling activities or his nexus with the co-accused. It is also urged that no material relating to financial transactions has been collected by the prosecution to prima facie establish that the alleged proceeds of gambling were transferred to the bank account of the co-accused Rakesh Verma. 4. It is further submitted that although the applicant has three criminal antecedents pertaining to the years 2019 and 2024, he has already been acquitted in the earlier cases, while only one case of the year 2024, relating to gambling, is presently pending. He further submits that the offences punishable under Sections 6 and 7 of the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022, carry a maximum sentence of three years and are triable by the Judicial Magistrate First Class. It is also submitted that the applicant has remained in judicial custody since 24.05.2026, the investigation has been concluded, the charge-sheet has already been filed, no further custodial interrogation is required, and the conclusion of the trial is likely to take considerable time. On these grounds, it is prayed that the applicant be enlarged on bail. 5. Per contra, learned State counsel opposes the bail application and submits that upon apprehension of the applicant, incriminating chats relating to online cricket betting were recovered from his mobile phone. It is specifically contended that the betting ID "KPR-8807" had 4 been provided by co-accused Kapoorchand Verma, through which the online gambling activities were conducted, and that the monetary transactions pertaining thereto were routed through the bank account of co-accused Rakesh Verma by means of PhonePe. It is further submitted that the applicant has three criminal antecedents, two of which relate to offences under the Indian Penal Code and one pertains to an offence of a similar nature. It is, therefore, argued that sufficient prima facie material exists to establish the involvement of the applicant in an organized online gambling racket and, consequently, he does not deserve bail. 6. I have heard learned counsel appearing for the respective parties and have perused the case diary along with the material available on record. 7. Considering the rival submissions, the nature and gravity of the allegations, and the material collected during the course of investigation, particularly the material contained in the case diary indicating the applicant's alleged involvement along with the co-accused in the commission of the offence, as well as the material suggesting that the financial transactions were routed through the bank account and PhonePe account linked to co-accused Rakesh Verma, coupled with the gravity of the allegations and the organised nature of the alleged online gambling syndicate, and further taking note of the fact that the bail applications of the other two co-accused have already been rejected by this Court vide M.Cr.C. Nos. 6114 of 2026 and 6117 of 2026, I am not inclined to extend the benefit of bail to the present 5 applicant at this stage. Accordingly, the present bail application of the applicant- Raghuveer Verma stands rejected Sd/- (Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) Judge SUGUNA DUBEY Digitally signed by SUGUNA DUBEY Date: 2026.07.30 15:12:55 +0530