Bail granted for alleged cattle slaughter citing lack of recovery and absence of criminal antecedents.

The seven applicants were arrested on February 2, 2026, following a complaint filed by Mukesh Soni of Bajrang Dal.

The prosecution alleged that the applicants were caught slaughtering a bull and preparing meat for sale; while most fled, one co-accused was apprehended at the scene.

Remains of the cattle and an ear tag were recovered.

The applicants moved the High Court for regular bail, arguing that they were falsely implicated, no incriminating material was recovered from their "conscious possession," and that the search and seizure procedures were not followed.

They further contended that no FSL or veterinary report confirmed the meat belonged to prohibited cattle.

1. Whether the applicants are entitled to grant of regular bail under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, considering the nature of allegations and the period of incarceration.

The Court applied Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 439 CrPC) regarding the discretionary power of the High Court to grant bail.

The substantive charges involved Sections 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Sections 4, 5, 6, and 10 of the Chhattisgarh Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 2004, which prohibit the slaughter of agricultural cattle and the possession of their meat.

while the prosecution alleged the applicants were involved in illegal slaughter, no incriminating material was recovered from their "conscious possession".

the Court observed that the charge-sheet had already been filed, the applicants had no prior criminal antecedents, and they had been in custody since February 2, 2026.

Since the trial was expected to take considerable time to conclude, the Court determined that continued detention was unnecessary.

The holding was based on the lack of direct recovery from the applicants' possession and the completion of the investigation (filing of charge-sheet).

The release is subject to furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each, with strict conditions, including mandatory attendance at all trial dates and a prohibition against seeking unnecessary adjournments. Default in these conditions or failure to appear under Section 84 of the BNSS would result in the cancellation of bail.