01Facts
The Police of New Rajendra Nagar, Raipur, acting on secret information, intercepted a Baleno car on 25.02.2026.
p. 3Two primary accused (Shaiky Darda and Prateek Vadhwani) were found engaged in online gambling on the 2020 Cricket World Cup match.
p. 3Following their interrogation and memorandum statements, the present applicants—Prakashchand Miri, Dhananjay Kumar Vaishnav, Pramod Kumar Orke, and Saket Jagwani—were implicated in a larger gambling syndicate.
¶ 4Police seized a significant quantity of hardware from the applicants, including 34 mobile phones, 3 laptops, and Wi-Fi routers.
¶ 4The applicants were arrested on 28.02.2026 and filed their first bail applications after the charge-sheet was filed.
¶ 2, 502Issues
i.1. Whether the applicants are entitled to be released on bail under the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022, considering the nature of electronic evidence and the duration of their custody.
p. 6 · ¶ 903Law Applied
Section 7 of the Chhattisgarh Gambling Prohibition Act, 2022, which penalizes online gambling, and Section 112(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
¶ 3General principles governing bail under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), weighing the gravity of the offence, the organized nature of the crime, and the impact on the national economy against the individual's right to liberty during trial.
¶ 9Provisions in the judgment · 1 · Linked ones open on LawLens
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 Section 112
04Reasoning
The Court rejected the applicants’ contention that the evidence was solely based on inadmissible memorandum statements.
¶ 5-7It reasoned that the seizure of 16 and 17 mobile phones from individual applicants, respectively, coupled with laptops and routers, prima facie established their role in a sophisticated syndicate.
¶ 4, 9The Court noted that the interlinking of mobile numbers with numerous third-party bank accounts and ATM cards for money transactions substantiated the prosecution’s claim of an organized network.
¶ 7The Judge emphasized that "online gambling is an organized crime" with "significant impact on the economy of the country," which outweighs the fact that the investigation was complete and the charge-sheet filed.
¶ 905Holding
The Court answered the issue in the negative, holding that the gravity of the offence and the applicants' direct involvement in an organized criminal network disentitled them to bail.
¶ 9The High Court of Chhattisgarh dismissed MCRC No. 4058/2026, MCRC No. 4565/2026, and MCRC No. 4671/2026.
¶ 10Original Court PDF
PRAKASHCHAND MIRIvsSTATE OF CHHATTISGARH
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