2026:CGHC:11110 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR ORDER RESERVED ON 06.02.2026 ORDER DELIVERED ON 03.03.2026 ORDER UPLOADED ON 03.03.2026 MCRC No. 10536 of 2025

1 - Yash Purohit S/o Nitesh Purohit Aged About 31 Years R/o B-1, Mukta Sadan, In Front Of Goyal Nursing Home, Samta Colony, District -

Raipur, Chhattisgarh ... Applicant (s)

versus

1 - State Of Chhattisgarh Through ACB/ EOW, District Raipur, Chhattisgarh ... Respondent(s)

For Applicant (s) : Shri Manoj Paranjape, Sr. Counsel assisted by Shri Gagan Tiwari, Advocate For Respondent/State : Shri Praveen Das, Dy. GA (Hon’ble Shri Justice Arvind Kumar Verma)

C A V Order

The instant application has been preferred by the applicant under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, seeking the grant of regular bail in connection with Crime No. 04/2024, registered at the Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing, Raipur, pertaining to offences punishable under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The applicant impugns the legality and propriety of the order dated 15.12.2025 passed by the learned Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act), Raipur, whereby his bail application was rejected, prompting the filing of the present first bail application before this Hon'ble Court.

FACTS OF THE CASE

2. In brief, the prosecution's case stems from search and seizure operations conducted by the Income Tax Department from 26.02.2020 to 01.03.2020 at multiple premises across the State of Chhattisgarh. During the ensuing inquiry, statements of several individuals were recorded, leading to allegations of an organized "liquor syndicate" operating within the State. This syndicate is alleged to have illicitly collected funds through manipulation of the excise administration and unauthorized liquor sales. Consequently, on 18.11.2022, the Directorate of Enforcement registered an ECIR invoking scheduled offences. Following communication from the Enforcement Directorate dated 11.07.2023 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the Economic Offences Wing, Raipur, registered FIR No. 04/2024 dated 17.01.2024 against several accused, including the present applicant, for offences under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.The prosecution alleges the existence of a criminal syndicate involving public servants, private persons, and intermediaries, which purportedly generated illegal gains from the liquor trade through modalities such as commissions from suppliers, off-the-record sales via State-run outlets and annual payments for operational permits. These proceeds are claimed to have been laundered through layered channels, including associates and linked business establishments.

3. The present applicant's name figures in the FIR as one among several accused persons, albeit without attribution of any specific role in the initial registration. During the course of investigation, however, the prosecution asserts to have unearthed material ostensibly indicating that illicit funds emanating from the alleged syndicate's operations were channelized, managed, and dissimulated through entities and establishments associated with the applicant's family business. It is further alleged that the applicant played a facilitative role in the storage, transportation, and handling of such proceeds linked to the purported illegal activities.

4. The investigation into the matter has been protracted and multifaceted. The prosecution agency submitted its inaugural final report before the learned Special Court on 01.07.2024, arraigning a multitude of accused persons and proposing an extensive roster of witnesses. This was followed by successive supplementary final reports at varied intervals, incrementally broadening the ambit of the case by impleading additional accused, including excise officials and priv