2026:CGHC:12534 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MCRC No. 1264 of 2026 Abhishek Soni S/o Shri Ramadhar Soni, Aged About 32 Years Cooperative Inspector, Office Of The Deputy, Commissioner Of Cooperation And Deputy Registrar Of Cooperative Societiesand Authorized Officer Of Maa Saleshvari , Bahudeshiya Kisan Utpadak Sahkari Samiti Maryadit Tukudah Panjiyan Kramank 455, District- Surguja, Chhattisgarh R/o Village Chitarpur Ps.

VAIBHAV Lundra . District- Surguja, Chhattisgarh ... Applicant SINGH Digitally signed by VAIBHAV SINGH Date: 2026.03.16 17:38:54 +0530 versus State Of Chhattisgarh Through P.S. Anti - Corrupation Bureau Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh ...Non-applicant For Applicant : Mr. Harpreet Singh, Advocate.

For Non-applicant/State : Dr. Sourabh Pande, Dy. Advocate General.

Hon'ble Shri Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice

Order on Board

16.03.2026

1. This is the first bail application filed under Section 483 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 for grant of regular bail to the applicant who has been arrested in connection with Crime No. 69/2025 registered at Police Station – Anti-Corrupation Bureau Ambikapur (C.G.), for the offences punishable under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, amended 2018.

2. Case of the prosecution, in brief, is that the complainant, Shri Shubham Jaiswal, applied for a contractual Accountant position in a multipurpose cooperative society in Surajpur District under the National Cooperative Development Corporation's scheme. After being declared the sole eligible candidate following a typing test and interview on 05/12/2025, the applicantbeing a Cooperative Inspector and Authorized Officer, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs. 1,50,000/- for issuing the appointment order. Following a verification of the complaint by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Ambikapur, which confirmed the demand, a case was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018). Upon completion of the investigation, a charge sheet was filed on 24/01/2026, and the matter is currently pending as Special Case No. 02/2026, with the court scheduling arguments on the framing of charges for 10/2/2026.

3. Learned counsel for the applicant submits that the applicant is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case. t is alleged that the applicant demanded a bribe for performing his official work; however, in fact, no such demand was ever made as there was no work pending before the applicant. The selection process in question was governed by the “Implementation Guidelines” (Condition 10.3), and since the complainant was the only eligible candidate, the appointment was merely a procedural outcome and not a matter of discretion, thereby rendering the allegation of demand of bribe logically inconsistent. It is further submitted that the complainant, being the sole candidate, apprehended delay in his appointment and has misused the ACB machinery to exert undue pressure upon the applicant, resulting in his false implication. In corruption cases, the substantial part of the investigation is generally completed on the day of the trap and arrest itself, and the remaining procedures are merely official formalities which do not require the continued detention of the accused. The applicant is a career Government servant who has already been placed under deemed suspension due to his detention, causing severe professional and financial hardship. His service record is otherwise unblemished and therefore his continued pre-trial incarceration is unwarranted.

4. On the other hand, learned State Counsel opposes the bail application of the present applicant.

5. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the case diary.

6. Considering the overall facts and circumstances of the case, the nature and gravity of the allegations levelled against the applicant, and further taking into account that the charge-sheet has already been submitted before the competent Court and the applicant has