IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH

223 CRM-M-45689-2025 Decided on : 13.10.2025 Arun Taneja . . . Petitioner(s)

Versus State of Haryana . . . Respondent(s)

CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SANJAY VASHISTH PRESENT: Mr. Aman Pal, Advocate for the petitioner(s).

Mr. Kanwar Sanjiv Kumar, AAG, Haryana.

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SANJAY VASHISTH, J. (Oral)

1. The instant petition has been filed under Section 483 of BNSS, 2023 (earlier Section 439 Cr.P.C.), for grant of regular bail to the petitioner, during the pendency of trial, who has been booked in a criminal case arising out of First Information Report, as detailed here-under:-

Name of FIR Date Section(s) Police District Petitioner(s) No. Station Arun Taneja 212 30.07.2023 406, 420 & 120-B of IPC, 1860 City Kurukshetra Pehowa

2. Complainant – Baljinder Kaur got registered the aforementioned FIR against; (i) Arun Taneja, (ii) Ved Parkash Taneja, (iii) Malook Singh Uppal, (iv) Gurpreet Singh Uppal, (v) Harpreet Singh Uppal, and (vi) Pradeep Kumar. As per allegations accused Arun Taneja projected his father – Ved Parkash Taneja before her as an agent of Sarvotam Vikas Multistate Housing Co-operative Society Limited and that this company used to given double the amount of FD and RD at the time of majority alongwith interest. Both of them also told her of already having invested the money of many people of Pehowa and around in the aforesaid company. He also owed responsibility for profit and losses from the company side. It is on the basis of the belief created by Arun Taneja and his father Ved Parkash Taneja that complainant invested two FDR’s of Rs.1,50,000/- (Total Rs.3,00,000/-). Said investment was done on 31.01.2017, infact, total investment was done of total three FDR’s total amounting to Rs.4,50,000/- for a period of six years. Accordingly, receipt and certificate of FD was also issued to her. In January, 2023 he went to take the matured amount of his FD in the CSC Centre of Arun Taneja and his father Ved Parkash Taneja at Pawan Market Pehowa. Both assured the complainant of getting the FD very soon. Complainant also came to know about the names and other particulars of 24 persons who had also come to the company for taking the FDR amount accruing through the invested money.

However, accused persons are reluctant in making payment of FD/RD but despite giving assurance many time by them nothing has been paid to the complainant and even to the other victims. Therefore, allegation in the FIR came up that accused Arun Taneja and Ved Parkash Taneja in connivance with Managing Director and the officers of the company have embezzled the amount in lakhs of Rupees (details mentioned in FIR).

3. Learned counsel further argues that, in fact, it is the petitioner whose investment has also gone waste. In this regard, FIR No. 331 dated 10.05.2022, under Sections 420 and 406 IPC, was got registered at Police Station Krishna Gate, Thanesar, District Kurukshetra, at the instance of the petitioner – Arun Taneja.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that it is the officiating members and the management of the Sarvotam Vikas Multistate Housing Co-operative Society Limited, who have duped the investors and absconded, whereas the petitioner, despite being a victim himself, is lying inside jail. It is further submitted that all the offences are triable by the Court of the learned Magistrate. Hence, the petitioner prays for the grant of concession of regular bail.

5. On the other hand, learned State counsel, while vehemently opposing the prayer for bail, submits that a total of 24 persons have been duped into depositing money in the Sarvotam Vikas Multistate Housing Co- operative Society Limited, and the members of the said society were in connivance with the petitioner. However, there is no denial that, at the instance of the petitioner himself, FIR No. 331 dated 10.05.2022 (Annexure P-2) had been registered earlier in time, i.e., more than a year prior to the registration of the present FIR.

Learned State co