1 CGHC010298592026 2026:CGHC:34363 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 7116 of 2026 Jitender Birla @ Bablu @ Billa S/o Hukum Singh Aged About 43 Years Permanent R/o Majra, P.S. Urban District Rohtak Haryana, Presently Residing At Housing Board Colony L.I.G. H. No. 45-B, P.S. Tilda Neora District Raipur Gramin (C.G.) (Proper Name And Address) ... Applicant(s) versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through The Police Station Tilda Neora, District Raipur (C.G.) ... Non-applicant(s) For Applicant(s) : Mr. Karan Kumar Baharani, Advocate For Non-applicant(s) : Ms. Richa Sahu, P.L. for the State (Hon’ble Shri Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, J.) Order on Board 05/08/2026 1. This is the third bail application of the applicant who has been arrested on 14.02.2026 in connection with Crime No.65/2026, registered at SUMIT KUMAR Digitally signed by SUMIT KUMAR Date: 2026.08.05 19:34:33 +0530 2 Police Station - Tilda Neora, District - Raipur for the offence punishable under Section 7 and 8 of Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Act, 2022 and Section 112(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. 2. The first bail application of the applicant is dismissed vide order dated 06.04.2026 (inadvertently typed as 06.04.2025) passed by this Court in MCRC No. 2898/2026 as withdrawn with liberty to repeat the same at an appropriate stage. The second bail application of the applicant has been dismissed on merits vide order dated 19.06.2026 passed in MCRC No. 4608 of 2026. Thereafter, the present third bail application. 3. The case of the prosecution, in brief, is that on 14.02.2026, the police of Police Station - Tilda Neora received secret information that the applicant, Jitendra Birla @ Bablu Billa, was engaged in playing online gambling through his mobile phone on the betting platforms “777 Grand Exchange” and “JMD Bet”, putting bets on online cricket matches. On the basis of the secret information, the police apprehended the applicant at 45-B Housing Board Colony, Kohka, and his memorandum statement was recorded. A mobile phone was seized from him. In the memorandum statement, he disclosed the involvement of the co-accused, Ayush Meghani, and stated that he had provided a link to him for online gambling and also gave him the user ID "Jsr25p" and password "Birla1982". From the present applicant, three mobile phones, 20 passbooks, 10 cheque books, 14 ATM cards, 2 Aadhaar cards, one PAN card, one drinking licence, 6 account books, one dot pen, one calculator, and Rs. 1,80,000/- cash were seized. The FIR has been registered and the charge-sheet has been filed. 4. Learned counsel for the applicant would submit that at the time when 3 the second bail application was dismissed on merits, the independent witnesses were not examined. However, on 23.07.2026, the independent witnesses have been examined and both the independent witnesses have been turned hostile and not supported the prosecution's case. The case of the prosecution is based on the recovery memorandum and seizure of the mobile phone of the applicant. However, both the witnesses have been turned hostile, and therefore, there is no other evidence against the applicant in the case. He would further submit that the applicant is in jail since 14.02.2026. Total 21 witnesses have been cited, out of which only 02 witnesses have been examined till date and the trial of the case will take its own time, therefore, the third bail application of the applicant may be admitted and he may be enlarged on bail. 5. On the other hand, learned counsel appearing for the State opposes and have submitted that it is a case of online gambling with the association of other accused persons and there is sufficient material in the case diary against the present applicant. He would further submit that a huge quantity of mobile phones, ATM cards, chequebooks, passbooks, and other electronic devices have been recovered from the present applicant, which clearly demonstrate the huge network of their online gambling throughout the country and the second bail application of the applicant has been rejected on merits, and therefore, there is no change in circumstances and further that as the evidence is already going on, the applicant may not be released on bail. 6. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the case diary. 4 7. Considering the submissions made by learned counsel for the parties, considering the nature of allegation, the involvement of the present applicant in the offence in question and seizure of huge number of mobile phones, ATM cards, passbooks, chequebooks and other electronic devices and also that the second bail application of the applicant has been dismissed on merits vide order dated 19.06.2026 and the trial of the case has already been started, I am not inclined to admit this third bail application. 8. Accordingly, the third bail application of the present applicant Jitender Birla @ Bablu @ Billa is hereby dismissed. Sd/- (Ravindra Kumar Agrawal) JUDGE Sumit