Gaurav Bhardwaj vs The State Government Of Nct Of Delhi

$~6
* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
% Date of Decision: 20.04.2026
+ BAIL APPLN. 554/2026
GAURAV BHARDWAJ
.....Petitioner
Through: Mr. Madhav Khurana, Sr. Advocate
with Mr. Parantap Singh, Mr. Laxman
Rana, Mr. Deepargya Datta and Mr.
Lakshay Sehrawat, Advocates.

versus

THE STATE GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI ...Respondent
Through: Mr. Amit Ahlawat, APP for State
( through video conferencing ) with
IO/SI Rajendra Dhaka.


CORAM: JUSTICE GIRISH KATHPALIA




J U D G M E N T (ORAL)


1. The accused/applicant seeks anticipatory bail in case FIR No. 07/2026
of Police Station Crime Branch for offence under Section 305(B)/316/
318(4)/336/338/339/340/3(5)/61(2) BNS.
2. In furtherance of last order, a detailed status report was filed. I have
heard learned senior counsel for accused/applicant and learned APP assisted
by IO/SI Rajendra Dhaka, who has also shown me the investigation file.

BAIL APPLN. 554/2026 Page 1 of 4 pages
GIRISH
KATHPALIA
Digitally signed by GIRISH KATHPALIA
DN: c=IN, o=HIGH COURT OF DELHI,
2.5.4.20=8401dd889b27a77b2f65ffffe4afec45569af3962c6fb4835
d435f97626cacca, ou=HIGH COURT OF DELHI,CID - 7047638,
postalCode=110003, st=Delhi,
serialNumber=d3e86796451ec45c07b5d15570996b40f80cbd2ee
e60402c487965ff801e26fa, cn=GIRISH KATHPALIA
Date: 2026.04.20 05:45:56 -07'00'
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed
By:RAHUL YADAV
Signing Date:20.04.2026
18:33:16

3. Broadly speaking, allegation against the accused/applicant is that
being a clerk in the Road Transport Authority, Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh
he was a part of a syndicate involving vehicle lifters, who would tamper
with the Chassis number of the stolen vehicles and get the same registered
on fake documents; and the registration numbers used were mostly of the
States far away from the State where the vehicle was registered using fake
documents. As per prosecution, such fake registrations were being carried
out across the country by the syndicate. The role ascribed to the
accused/applicant is that as a clerk in Bilaspur Authority, he had access to
the password of email of the concerned SDM, which enabled him access to
the OTPs received from the website of Vaahan. Further, according to
prosecution most of the vehicles which were got fraudulently registered in
Bilaspur were assigned registration numbers of the vehicles registered by
Telangana authorities.
4. On last date, the learned senior counsel appearing on behalf of the
accused/applicant claimed that the accused/applicant had never processed
the registration files without obtaining in original, a no objection from
Telangana authorities. But in response, the IO produced on last date the
records reflecting that the accused/applicant had processed a number of files,
that too beyond office hours.
5. Today it is contended by learned senior counsel for accused/applicant
that the prosecution case is not reliable because firstly, it is not possible to
contemplate a situation where Telangana vehicles are being registered online
because registration of vehicles coming to Himachal Pradesh from

BAIL APPLN. 554/2026 Page 2 of 4 pages
GIRISH
KATHPALIA
Digitally signed by GIRISH KATHPALIA
DN: c=IN, o=HIGH COURT OF DELHI,
2.5.4.20=8401dd889b27a77b2f65ffffe4afec45569af3962c6fb4835d4
35f97626cacca, ou=HIGH COURT OF DELHI,CID - 7047638,
postalCode=110003, st=Delhi,
serialNumber=d3e86796451ec45c07b5d15570996b40f80cbd2eee6
0402c487965ff801e26fa, cn=GIRISH KATHPALIA
Date: 2026.04.20 05:46:16 -07'00'
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed
By:RAHUL YADAV
Signing Date:20.04.2026
18:33:16

Telangana could be done only manually and not online; and secondly,
merely from CAF (Customer Application Form) it is not possible to infer
that the concerned mobile phone was used to access any website, like
Vaahan. Therefore, according to learned senior counsel, this is a fit case to
grant anticipatory bail.
6. In response, the IO has produced before me a communication dated
21.02.2026 received from Telangana authorities, claiming that not only the
numbers being investigated against are fake but even no series of such
numbers exists in the records of the RTO, Hyderabad, Telangana.
7. As per the status report dated 05.03.2026, on a number of occasions,
the accused/applicant obtained the OTP from his successor clerk Subhash
Chand for registering the tainted vehicles himself even subsequent to his
transfer from Bilaspur authority.
8. Further, according to prosecution, complete data of the vehicles
registered during the posting period of the accused/applicant is still being
analysed and the accused/applicant has absconded, due to which further
investigation is being hampered and custodial interrogation of the
accused/applicant is required. It is also apprised by prosecution that the
accused/applicant has been placed under suspension vide order dated
03.02.2026.
9. According to the investigation carried so far, some of the vehicles
( specified in the status report ) registered and approved by the
accused/applicant also were examined and their registration numbers were

BAIL APPLN. 554/2026 Page 3 of 4 pages
Digitally signed by GIRISH KATHPALIA
DN: c=IN, o=HIGH COURT OF DELHI,
2.5.4.20=8401dd889b27a77b2f65ffffe4afec45569af3962c6fb4835d435f97626ca
cca, ou=HIGH COURT OF DELHI,CID - 7047638, postalCode=110003, st=Delhi,
serialNumber=d3e86796451ec45c07b5d15570996b40f80cbd2eee60402c48796
5ff801e26fa, cn=GIRISH KATHPALIA
Date: 2026.04.20 05:46:28 -07'00'
GIRISH KATHPALIA
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed
By:RAHUL YADAV
Signing Date:20.04.2026
18:33:16

found tampered with. For example, the original registration number of
Toyota Fortuner No. HP-24-E-3974 is UP-16-DU-7447 and the same was
found to be a stolen vehicle according to e-FIR dated 15.05.2025 of PS
Malviya Nagar. Similarly, another vehicle bearing no. DL-8CB-C-2546 was
found registered under a fake number HP-24-E-4823 and the same was
found to be a stolen vehicle according to e-FIR dated 12.08.2025 of PS Kirti
Nagar, New Delhi. In other words, the scope of investigation covers a
number of States and not just Telangana.
10. Keeping in mind the expanse of the offence and the stage of
investigation, I do not find it fit case to grant anticipatory bail, thereby
depriving the investigating officer an opportunity to carry out custodial
interrogation. Therefore, the application is dismissed.


Digitally signed by GIRISH KATHPALIA
DN: c=IN, o=HIGH COURT OF DELHI,
2.5.4.20=8401dd889b27a77b2f65ffffe4afe
c45569af3962c6fb4835d435f97626cacca,
ou=HIGH COURT OF DELHI,CID - 7047638,
postalCode=110003, st=Delhi,
serialNumber=d3e86796451ec45c07b5d1
5570996b40f80cbd2eee60402c487965ff8
01e26fa, cn=GIRISH KATHPALIA
Date: 2026.04.20 05:46:43 -07'00'
GIRISH
KATHPALIA

GIRISH KATHPALIA
(JUDGE)
ry
APRIL 20, 2026/

BAIL APPLN. 554/2026 Page 4 of 4 pages
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed
By:RAHUL YADAV
Signing Date:20.04.2026
18:33:16