IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Ashok Sahni ....Petitioner V/s State of Punjab ....Respondent Date of decision: 18.03.2026 Date of Uploading : 18.03.2026 CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE SUMEET GOEL Present: Mr. Harsh Vasu Gupta, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Hemant Aggarwal, DAG Punjab.

Mr. Ranjodh Singh Jodha, Advocate for the complainant *****

SUMEET GOEL, J. (Oral)

1. Present petition has been filed on behalf of the petitioner seeking grant of anticipatory/pre-arrest bail under Sections 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (hereinafter to be referred as ‘BNSS’) in FIR No.237 dated 10.12.2025 registered for offences punishable under Section 108 of the BNS, 2023 at Police Station Macchiwara, Khanna.

2. The FIR in the present case has been lodged on the statement of the complainant Kavita Devi, wife of the deceased Rajesh Kumar, who alleged that the deceased was engaged in labour contracting work and had developed a habit of gambling, owing to which he had incurred substantial debts. It has been further alleged that the petitioner, along with co-accused, had been advancing money to the deceased on commission for gambling purposes and thereafter demanding r