JUDGMENT :

1. Heard Mr. Nandit Kumar Srivastava, learned Senior Counsel, assisted by Mr. J.P. Awasthi and Mr. Mohd. Ibrahim Khan Advocates, representing the applicant as well as Mr. Anurag Kumar Singh, learned counsel for the respondent -CBI, and gone through the record.

2. This application under Section 482 of The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (hereinafter referred to as the "CrPC") has been filed, impugning the order dated 13.12.2018, issuing non-bailable warrants of arrest against the applicant in connection with Criminal Case No.1968 of 2018 (CBI Vs. Sachidanand Dubey and others) under Sections 120-B read with Sections 420 and 409 Indian Penal Code, 1860 (hereinafter referred to as the "IPC") and Sections 13(2) read with Sections 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (hereinafter referred to as the "PC Act"), pending in the Court of learned Special Judge, CBI, Court No. 2, Lucknow, arising out of Crime No. RC0062014A0008 lodged at Police Station CBI/ACB, Lucknow.

3. The applicant was a public servant, employed/posted as District Development Officer, Balrampur during the years 2007 to 2009; at the relevant time, large scale of financial bungling, gross irregularities and misappropriation of public funds allocated under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (hereinafter referred to as the "NREGS") was reported to have been done by the then government officers/officials in criminal conspiracy and connivance with the private suppliers in purchase of stationery and other materials.

4. Public Interest Litigation Petition No.12802 (M/B) of 2011 came to be filed by Mr. Sachchidanand Gupta before this Court regarding large scale corruption, bungling and misappropriation of NREGS funds by the Block Development Officers and other government officers/officials in connivance with the private suppliers in the centralized purchase of stationery and other items worth Rs. 1,81,18,602/- on exorbitant price by the then Chief Development Officer, Project Director, D.R.D.A. and other officers of District Balrampur. These government officers/officials and private persons had allegedly caused huge loss to the government exchequer and made corresponding gains to themselves. A prayer was made for registration of the FIR and investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (hereinafter referred to as the "CBI").

5. This Court, vide judgment and order dated 31.01.2014 passed Public Interest Litigation Petition No.12802 (M/B) of 2011, issued a Mandamus directing the CBI to investigate the abuse and misappropriation of funds allocated under the NREGS with regard to seven districts of State of Uttar Pradesh, namely, Balrampur, Gonda, Mahoba, Sonbhadra, Sant Kabir Nagar, Mirzapur and Kushinagar during the years 2007 to 2010 and take appropriate action and prosecute the persons involved, in accordance with law.

6. Pursuant to the said order, reports of State Quality Monitor (hereinafter referred to as "SQM") in respect of seven districts, mentioned above, for the relevant period, were examined by the CBI. It was revealed that in District Balrampur during the period 20072008 and 2008-2009 large scale financial bungling, gross irregularities and misappropriation of NREGS funds had been found to have been done by the Block Development Officer and other government officers/officials in connivance with private suppliers in the central purchase of stationery and other items wroth Rs. 1,81,18,602/-on exorbitant price by the then Chief Development Officer, Project Director, D.R.D.A. and other officers of District Balrampur in connivance with the private suppliers and thereby they had caused a huge loss to the government exchequer and made corresponding gains to themselves.

7. A regular case, mentioned above, got registered against the then Chief Development Officer, Project Director and other officers/officials of the District Balrampur along with the private suppliers.

8. The CBI after conducting a thorough investigation, lodged the FIR on