IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH ****

280 CRM-M-46142-2025 Date of Decision : 19.12.2025 SOURABH MAHAJAN ...Petitioner VERSUS STATE OF HARYANA ...Respondent CORAM: HON’BLE MS. JUSTICE AARADHNA SAWHNEY Present: Mr. Manan Bhardwaj, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Vishal Singh, AAG, Haryana.

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AARADHNA SAWHNEY, J. (ORAL)

1. This petition for grant of bail under Section 483 BNSS, has been filed by petitioner, an accused in case bearing FIR No.74 dated 19.02.2025 registered against him at Police Station Karnal Civil Lines, Karnal, for the commission of offences punishable u/s 420, 120-B IPC and Section 3 of Haryana Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishment Act, 2013 (Haryana Act No.32 of 2014), Section 21, 22 of Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019.

2. Relevant facts as emerging from documents on record, we notice herein below:-

Criminal proceedings in the present case were set into motion by Rishi Pal, son of Rattan Singh, resident of Street No.3, Haqiqat Nagar, Police Station Sadar Karna, who filed a written complaint alleging therein that in 2011, Sarvotam Group of Companies was organizing a seminar at Prem Plaza. He also atended the seminar, where he met Subhash Chander Kalia, Shivcharan Kalia, Harvinder Singh, Sushrit Kalia, Harpreet Singh, and Gurpreet Singh, sons of Malook Singh Uppal, who assured him of promising returns if money is invested in various schemes of the company. Somehow he got swayed in, in these false promises/assurances and invested his hard earned money. He also disclosed the identification details of persons invovled in the management and day-to-day affairs of the company as follows: Swaran Singh, Trilok Singh, Balinder Kaur, Malook Singh Uppal, Kuldeep Singh, Saurabh Mahajan (present petitioner) and Harpreet Singh Uppal.

He further maintained that the company and its ancillary branches had cheated various persons. The Directors of Sarvotam Leasing and Real Estate Ltd., Sarvotam Hi-Tech Infra Development Ltd., Sarvotam Vikas Multi State Housing Co-Operative Society Ltd., S.K. Producer Company Ltd., Sarvotam Self Growth Nidhi Ltd. have cheated around 2000 persons of around Rs. 10 crore. He requested to investigate the matter thoroughly so that all those involved in duping various persons/investors of their hard earned money can be taken to task.

Based on the said complaint, a formal case vide FIR No.74 dated 19.02.2025, u/s 420, 120-B IPC and Section 3 of Haryana Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishment Act, 2013 (Haryana Act No.32 of 2014), Section 21, 22 of Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019, was registered.

During investigation, complainant Rishi Pal and Sunny Rana joined investigations, who handed over the requisite documents, as also FDs, Bonds, RDs deposited in ‘Sarvotam Vikas Multi State Housing Co-operative Society Ltd.’, which were taken into possession, statement of various witnesses were recorded. Relevant record of the Society was collected from Registrar Central Cooperative Society, Government of India, Delhi. These documents revealed that present petitioner was working as a ‘Branch Manager’ in the aforesaid Society for some time and after taking his consent, he was inducted as a Director on 18.03.2019 . Investigations further revealed that during the tenure of petitioner Rs.7,42,474/- were deposited by 54 persons in the ‘Sarvotam Self Growth Nidhi Limited’.

On 17.04.2025, petitioner was arrested. During interrogation, he confessed to his involvement in the commission of offence and highlighted the role played by him and others. Though, nothing was recovered in pursuance of the said disclosure statement.

3. On culmination of investigation, challan was filed. Petitioner filed an application for grant of bail. The same was dismissed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Karnal, vide order dated 07.07.2025. Aggrieved of which, the present petition has been filed.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner contends tha