SOURABH 2026:CGHC:4286 BHILWAR NAFR SOURABH BHILWAR Date: 2026.01.27 16:11:34 +0530 HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR Order reserved on 22-01-2026 Order delivered on 27-01-2026 MCRC No. 10465 of 2025 Taman Singh Sonwani S/o Late Kalyan Singh Sonwani Aged About 64 Years R/o Village Sarbada, Post Madeli, District- Dhamtari (C.G.)

... Applicant versus Central Bureau Of Investigation CBI, Anticorruption Branch Raipur, District-

Raipur (C.G.)

... Respondent Shri Gagan Tiwari, Advocate For Applicant :

Shri Himanshu Pandey, Advocate on behalf of For Respondent/ CBI :

Shri B. Gopa Kumar, Advocate (HON’BLE SHRI JUSTICE BIBHU DATTA GURU)

C A V Order

1. The applicant has preferred this Second bail application under Section

483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023¹ for grant of bail as registered at Police Station CBI, Anti Corruption Branch, Raipur, District Raipur (C.G) for the offence punishable under Sections 120B & 420 of the Indian Penal Code, he has been arrested in connection with Crime No.RC1242024A0004 and Sections 7, 7(A) & 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018)³

2. Previously, the applicant has preferred a First Bail Application bearing MCRC No. 2496/2025, which was dismissed by this Court vide order dated 22/04/2025, whereby the prayer made by the applicant for enlargement on bail was declined.

3. In respect of certain illegalities and irregularities committed by the authorities of the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission⁴ in the recruitment process, two separate FIRs bearing Crime No.05/2024 of EOW/ACB, Chhattisgarh, Raipur and Crime No. 28/2024 of Arjunda PS, Dist. Balod, Chhattisgarh were registered and subsequently, the matter was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation⁵. In the case, there were seven accused persons. A-1 Taman Singh Sonwani (the applicant herein), the then Chairman of the PSC; A-2 Shravan Kumar Goyal, Director of Bajrang Power and Ispat Ltd.; A-3 Shashank Goyal (son of A-2); A-4 Ms. Bhumika Katiyar (Daughter-in-law of A-2); A-5 Nitesh Sonwani & A-6 Sahil Sonwani (both nephews of A-1) and A-7 Lalit Ganvir, Deputy Controller (Examination) of the PSC. For the sake of convenience, the applicant herein is being referred as A-1.

4. Case of the prosecution, in brief, as far as the present applicant Taman Singh Sonwani (A-1) is concerned is that during the period 2020-2022 the PSC conducted the State Service Examination. At that time, A-1 was the Chairman of the PSC. The allegations is that he along with other officials of the PSC have gave undue advantage to their respective family members. During the course of investigation, it revealed that A-2 gave an amount of Rs. 45 Lacs under the head of Corporate Social Responsibility⁶ to the Non-Governmental Organization⁷ namely Gramin Vikas Samiti⁸ to which, the wife of A-1 is the Chairperson. In the said process, the question papers of the PSC examination was leaked to the A-2, who in turn forwarded the same to A-3 & A-4. On the basis of the same, A-3 & A-4 were succeeded in the examination and selected for the post of Deputy Collector. The further allegations of the Investigating Agency is that the brother of A-1 is the member of GVS. Even the question papers were also provided to A-5 & A-6 who are nephews of A- 1, who have got selected in the said examination for the post of Deputy Collector and Deputy Superintendent of Police, respectively. Thus, A-1 committed the offence.

5. Learned counsel appearing for the applicant (A-1) would submit that the applicant is innocent person and has been falsely implicated. He would submit that A-1 is not involved in the setting of question papers and even he has no role to play in the examination process. In the present bail application, the applicant has sought bail primarily on the ground of detention period i.e. 1 year 2 months 4 days. He would also submit that the investigation in the matter is still ongoing. According to the applicant, four co-accused have already been granted b