JUDGMENT :

SUBHASH VIDYARTHI, J.

1. Heard Sri Anurag Khanna, the learned Senior Counsel assisted by Sri Rahul Agarwal, Ms. Tanya Makker, Sri. Malay Prasad, Ms. Saloni Mathur and Sri. Piyush Kant Shukla, the learned counsel for the applicant and Sri Dhananjay Awasthi and Sri Digvijay Nath Dubey, the learned Senior Standing Counsel for the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI).

2. By means of the instant application, the applicant is seeking his release on bail in Criminal Case No. 7646 of 2022 in the Court of learned Special Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offences)/Additional Metropolitan Magistrate-III, Kanpur Nagar, arising out of a complaint filed in respect of offence under Section 132 (1) (a) read with Section 132 (1) (i) and 132 (5) of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.

3. Briefly stated, the facts of the case are that on 22-12-2021 the Officers of the DGGI started making a search on the residential and official premises of the applicant at Kannuaj and Kanpur, which continued till 28-12-2021. Cash amounting to Rs. 196.57 Crores was seized from the applicant’s premises besides recovery of 23 kilograms gold, which was handed over to the Of