1 CGHC010336652026 2026:CGHC:38817 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 8104 of 2026 Kamta Prasad Sahu S/o Late Ramlal Sahu Aged About 35 Years Resident Of Village- Pendari, Post Office And Police Station- Sakri, District- Bilaspur (C.G.) ... Applicant(s) versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through- Station House Officer, Police Station- Civil Line, Bilaspur, District- Bilaspur (C.G.) ... Respondent(s) For Applicant(s) : Mr. Goutam Khetrapal, Advocate. For Respondent(s) : Mr. Sumit Singh, Deputy Advocate General. Hon'ble Mr. Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice Order on Board 02/09/2026 1. This is the first bail application filed under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short ‘BNSS’) for grant of regular bail to the applicant who has been arrested in connection with Crime No. 843/2026 registered at Police Station AKHILESH KUMAR DEWANGAN Digitally signed by AKHILESH KUMAR DEWANGAN 2 Civil Line, Bilaspur, District- Bilaspur (C.G.) for the offence punishable under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of IPC. 2. Case of the prosecution, in brief, is that the complainant, Daulat Ram Thakur, Naib Nazir Grade-II, posted in the Office of the Tahsildar, Bilaspur, submitted a written report before Police Station Civil Lines, District Bilaspur, alleging that the present applicant, Kamta Prasad Sahu, along with other persons, deliberately concealed the actual cause of death and, by adopting fraudulent means, dishonestly obtained financial assistance of Rs.4,00,000/- under the Government’s Snakebite/Poisonous Animal Bite Death Assistance Scheme, thereby causing wrongful loss to the State exchequer and corresponding wrongful gain to themselves. On the basis of the said report, offences under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, have been registered at Police Station Civil Lines, District Bilaspur. Hence, the bail application. 3. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the applicant has not committed any offence and he has been falsely implicated in offence in question. He further submits that the present applicant has no involvement in the alleged conspiracy and has been falsely implicated in the present case. He also submits that similar offences relating to alleged misuse of the scheme have also been registered at Police Stations Sarkanda, Civil Lines and Torwa, Bilaspur, and this Court, vide orders dated 18.08.2026 passed in 3 MCRC Nos. 6205/2026, 6251/2026, 6956/2026 and 6871/2026, has granted bail to the accused persons. The applicant is in jail since 19.06.2026, the applicant has only one criminal antecedent of the year 2024 under the IPC, in which the applicant has been granted anticipatory bail, charge-sheet has been filed and the trial is likely to take some time for its conclusion. Therefore, he prays for grant of bail to the applicant. 4. On the other hand, learned State Counsel opposes the bail application and submits that the charge-sheet has been filed in the present case. He further submits that the applicant in connivance with the co-accused persons deliberately concealed the actual cause of death and fraudulently obtained financial assistance of Rs.4,00,000/- under the Government’s Snakebite/Poisonous Animal Bite Death Assistance Scheme, thereby causing wrongful loss to the State exchequer and corresponding wrongful gain to himself. Furthermore, the applicant has one criminal antecedent of the year 2024 under the IPC. Therefore, the applicant is not entitled for grant of bail. 5. I have heard learned counsel appearing for the parties and perused the case diary. 6. Taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of the case, nature and gravity of offence, period of detention of the applicant since 19.06.2026, the fact that though the applicant in connivance with the co-accused persons deliberately concealed the actual 4 cause of death and fraudulently obtained financial assistance of Rs.4,00,000/- under the Government’s Snakebite/Poisonous Animal Bite Death Assistance Scheme, thereby causing wrongful loss to the State exchequer and corresponding wrongful gain to himself, but considering the fact that similar offences relating to alleged misuse of the scheme have also been registered at Police Stations Sarkanda, Civil Lines and Torwa, Bilaspur, and this Court, vide orders dated 18.08.2026 passed in MCRC Nos. 6205/2026, 6251/2026, 6956/2026 and 6871/2026, has granted bail to the accused persons, so far as criminal antecedent of the applicant is concerned, the applicant has one criminal antecedent of the year 2024 under the IPC and charge-sheet has been filed, this Court is of the view that the applicant is entitled to be released on bail in this case. 7. Accordingly, the application is allowed. 8. Let the Applicant-Kamta Prasad Sahu, involved in Crime No. 843/2026 registered at Police Station Civil Line, Bilaspur, District- Bilaspur (C.G.) for the offence punishable under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of IPC, be released on bail on his furnishing a personal bond with two sureties in the like sum to the satisfaction of the Court concerned with the following conditions:- (i) The applicant shall file an undertaking to the effect that he shall not seek any adjournment on the dates fixed for evidence when the witnesses are present in 5 court. In case of default of this condition, it shall be open for the trial court to treat it as abuse of liberty of bail and pass orders in accordance with law. (ii) The applicant shall remain present before the trial court on each date fixed, either personally or through his counsel. In case of his absence, without sufficient cause, the trial court may proceed against him under Section 269 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. (iii) In case, the applicant misuses the liberty of bail during trial and in order to secure his presence, proclamation under Section 84 of BNSS. is issued and the applicant fails to appear before the court on the date fixed in such proclamation, then, the trial court shall initiate proceedings against him, in accordance with law, under Section 209 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. (iv) The applicant shall remain present, in person, before the trial court on the dates fixed for (i) opening of the case, (ii) framing of charge and (iii) recording of statement under Section 351 of BNSS. If in the opinion of the trial court absence of the applicant is deliberate or without sufficient cause, then it shall be open for the trial court to treat such default as abuse of liberty of bail and proceed against him in accordance with law. 9. Office is directed to send a certified copy of this order to the trial Court for necessary information and compliance. Sd/- (Ramesh Sinha) CHIEF JUSTICE Akhil