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2026:CGHC:6274

NAFR

KUNAL

DEWANGAN HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR

Digitally

signed by

KUNAL

DEWANGAN

MCRC No. 1201 of 2026

Shahid Quraishi S/o Late Faiz Mohammad Quraishi Aged About 35 Years

R/o 102, Ward No. 7 Lal Bahadur Ward, Nagar Panchayat Bodri, District

Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.

... Applicant(s)

versus

State Of Chhattisgarh Through Station House OfÏcer, Police Station

Chakrabhatha, District Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.

... Non-applicant(s)

For Applicant : Mr. Lakhan Singh Bhadoriya Advocate.

For Non-applicant/State : Mr. S.S. Baghel, Government Advocate

For Objector : Mr. Waquar Rizvi, Advocate.

Hon'ble Shri Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice

Order on Board

04.02.2026

1. The applicant has preferred this First Bail application under Section

483 of Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, for grant of regular

bail, as he has been arrested in connection with Crime

No.375/2025, registered at Police Station- Chakarbhata, District –

Bilaspur, (C.G.) for the offence punishable under Sections 80(2),

3(5) of BNS.

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2. The case of the prosecution, in brief, is that on 08.09.2025, the

informant, Shahid Quraishi, son of Late Faizal Mohammad

Quraishi, lodged a report at Police Station Chakarbhatha stating

that he resides behind Vasu Mangalam, Ward No. 7,

Chakarbhatha, and works at the electricity ofÏce there. After

completing his night duty, he returned home at about 8:30 AM and

later went to Chakarbhatha market at around 10:00 AM. He called

his wife, but she did not answer. Upon returning home, he found the

bedroom door locked from the inside. Despite calling out to his wife,

there was no response. When he looked through the ventilation

window, he saw his wife hanging from the ceiling fan with a dupatta.

He immediately informed Dial 112 and in the presence of neighbors

Ishwar Yadav and Akhilesh Kaushik, the door was broken open. On

the basis of this report, a merg intimation was registered at Police

Station Chakarbhatha vide Marg No. 57/2025 under Section 194 of

the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. During inquiry, on

the basis of the inquest proceedings, merg panchnama, statements

of witnesses, spot inspection, and post-mortem report, the Station

House OfÏcer, Chakarbhatha, found that the deceased, Afroz Khan,

had allegedly committed suicide by hanging due to harassment for

dowry by Shahid Quraishi, Naseeba Quraishi, and Anaya Quraishi

from 05.07.2024 until the morning of 08.09.2025. Accordingly,

Crime No. 375/2025 was registered for offences punishable under

Section 80(2) read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya

Sanhita, 2023 against the applicant and other co-accused persons.

On the basis of evidence collected during investigation, the FIR was

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registered, the applicant Shahid Quraishi was arrested, and after

completion of investigation, the charge-sheet has been filed.

3. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the applicant is

innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case. There

is an unexplained delay in registration of the FIR, as the merg

intimation was recorded on 08.09.2025 whereas the FIR was

lodged only on 24.09.2025. Prima facie, no case under Section

80(2) of the BNS is made out against the applicant. The other co-

accused persons have already been granted anticipatory bail by

this Court in MCRCA No. 1749/2025. As per the merg No. 57/2025

and post-mortem proceedings, no external injuries, stains, or blood

marks were found on the body of the deceased and the cause of

death was opined to be “death by hanging.” No suicide note

alleging cruelty or dowry harassment was recovered. The deceased

was not subjected to cruelty or harassment by the applicant, and

the statements of family members recorded under Section 161

Cr.P.C./180 BNSS are hearsay, interested, and unreliable; notably,

neither the brother nor any relative of the deceased ever made any

complaint regarding dowry harassment soon before the death,

either to the police or in the community. On the contrary, it was the

applicant himself who informed the police about the incident up