IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of Decision: 09.03.2026 Mukul …Petitioner.

Versus The State of Haryana …Respondent.

CORAM: HON’BLE MS. JUSTICE AARADHNA SAWHNEY.

Present: Mr. Dhruv Gupta, Advocate for the petitioner.

Ms. Shweta Nahata, DAG, Haryana.

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AARADHNA SAWHNEY, J. (Oral)

1. Petitioner, who is an accused in case FIR No. 40 dated 08.02.2026, registered against him under Sections 303, 317(2) of BNS and Sections 32, 33, 51 of Indian Forest Act and Sections 27, 29, 39(D), 50, 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1927, at Police Station Naraingarh, District Ambala, has filed the present petition for grant of anticipatory bail.

2. Relevant facts as emerging from the documents on record be noticed hereinbelow:-

Anil Kumar, Forest Inspector, Incharge, Kurali, set the criminal law in motion by filing a complaint pointing therein that at about 2 in the morning of 7.2.2026, he received an information that few ‘Khair’ trees had been cut illegally from the forest land, in the area of village Kurali. Immediately thereafter, an information was sent to senior officers and he (c) headed for the spot. Naka was laid. The team noticed a tempo (make Ashoka Leyland) bearing r