1 CGHC010317172026 2026:CGHC:36589 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRCA No.1330 of 2026 Prashant @ Bantu Narang S/o Late Shri Manohar Narang Aged About 45 Years Occupation Business, R/o 27 Kholi, P.S. Civil Lines, Bilaspur Chhattisgarh ... Applicant versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through The Station House Officer, Police Station Civil Lines, Bilaspur Chhattisgarh ... Non-applicant For Applicant : Mr. Abhishek Sinha, Senior Advocate along with Ms. Jasleen Kaur Gulati, Advocate. For Non-applicant/State : Ms. Nupur Trivedi, PL. For Complainant : Ms. Sareena Khan, Advocate. Hon'ble Mr. Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice Order on Board 17.08.2026 1. This anticipatory bail application under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 has been filed by SISTLA NEELIMA VISHNU PRIYA Digitally signed by SISTLA NEELIMA VISHNU PRIYA Date: 2026.08.18 11:55:23 +0530 2 the Applicant who is apprehending his arrest in connection with Crime No.949/2026 registered at Police Station – Civil Line, Bilaspur (C.G.) for the offences punishable under Sections 64(2)(m), 308(2) and 351(3) of BNS. 2. According to the prosecution story, the victim, who was running a tailoring shop in a rented premises owned by the Applicant, alleged that after her release from jail in September 2024, the Applicant told her that his friend, a senior advocate practising in the High Court, could help her in her criminal case and called her to East Park Hotel on the pretext of discussing her case. It is alleged that on 08.09.2024, after giving her water, the Applicant rendered her unconscious and upon regaining consciousness, she found herself without clothes, whereafter the Applicant allegedly subjected her to sexual assault and recorded the incident on his mobile phone. It is further alleged that the Applicant threatened to circulate the video and implicate her in another case and thereafter, repeatedly called her to hotel rooms, forcibly made her consume beer and subjected her to sexual exploitation till April 2025. The Applicant is also alleged to have assured her that he would keep her as his second wife and continued the relationship by making promises and threats. It is further alleged that when the victim demanded 3 deletion of the video, the Applicant refused, blocked her number and threatened to implicate her in a false case, get brown sugar planted in her tailoring shop and have her killed. Based on these allegations, the offences as mentioned above have been registered against the present Applicant. Hence, this application. 3. Learned Senior Advocate appearing for the Applicant submits that the Applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case. It is submitted that the victim is a mature woman aged about 37 years and as per her own allegations, the alleged physical relationship continued for nearly eight months, during which she repeatedly visited the Applicant at the hotel and therefore the allegation of vitiated consent is a matter requiring consideration at trial. He further submits that the allegations of extortion and criminal intimidation are vague and omnibus and are not supported by any specific particulars of demand, threat or delivery of property. It is also submitted that the FIR has been lodged with an unexplained delay of about 22 months from the first alleged incident and about 14 months from the last alleged incident. It is further submitted that the present FIR is motivated by a dispute between the parties concerning the Applicant's tenanted premises and that the victim had even contacted the 4 Applicant through WhatsApp after registration of the FIR, indicating mala fide intention. He lastly submits that the trial is likely to take considerable time for its conclusion, therefore, the Applicant may be granted anticipatory bail. 4. Per contra, learned State Counsel and learned Counsel for the Complainant oppose the bail application. Learned State Counsel submits that the Applicant has two previous criminal antecedents and as per the statement of the victim, the Applicant repeatedly subjected her to sexual assault for about eight months by threatening her with an obscene video and threatening to implicate her in a false case. It is further submitted that the Applicant continued to threaten the victim even after she lodged the complaint, including threats to get her killed and to plant brown sugar in her shop and that the Applicant has retained the alleged video and used it to intimidate and exploit her, therefore, considering the serious allegations and the possibility of the Applicant influencing or threatening the victim, he is not entitled to bail. 5. Considering the submissions advanced by learned Counsel for the parties, the material available in the case diary, the nature of allegations, the fact that the alleged relationship continued for about eight months, the considerable delay in lodging the FIR, the fact that the allegations of extortion and 5 criminal intimidation are required to be tested during trial, without further commenting anything on merits of the case, this Court is of the considered opinion that it is a fit case to extend the benefit of anticipatory bail to the Applicant. 6. Accordingly, the instant MCRCA is allowed and it is directed that in the event of arrest of the Applicant – Prashant @ Bantu Narang on executing a personal bond with one surety in the like sum to the satisfaction of the arresting Officer, he shall be released on bail on the following conditions:- (a) The Applicant/s shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him/her/them from disclosing such fact to the Court. (b) The Applicant/s shall not act in any manner which will be prejudicial to fair and expeditious trial. (c) The Applicant/s shall appear before the trial Court on each and every date given to him/her/them by the said Court till disposal of the trial. (d)The Applicant/s and the surety shall submit a copy of his/her/their adhaar card along with a colored postcard full size photo having printed the adhaar number on it, which shall be verified by the trial Court. (e)The Applicant/s shall not involve himself/herself/themselves in any offence of similar nature in future. Sd/- (Ramesh Sinha) CHIEF JUSTICE Priya