Chhattisgarh HC Grants Anticipatory Bail In Alleged 274.48-MT Iron-Bar Shortage Case After Police Made No Attempt To Interrogate Accused For 11 Years

The applicant sought anticipatory bail under Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, in connection with Crime No. 66/2015, registered for offences under Sections 420, 406, 467, 468, 471 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

The prosecution alleged that, in 2014–15, iron bars supplied to the complainant were short by 274.48 MT because the accused persons had manipulated weighing receipts.

The applicant, who was in the transportation business, maintained that he had not transported goods for the complainant and that police had made no attempt to interrogate him for approximately eleven years, until September 2026.

The State opposed bail on the allegation of manipulation but did not dispute the delay in seeking to interrogate him.

Section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, provides for a direction granting bail to a person apprehending arrest.

The alleged offences were under Sections 420, 406, 467, 468, 471 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

The Court cited no precedents or further legal test; it stated that the application was considered in light of the facts and circumstances, the nature of the allegations, and the parties’ submissions.

The Court considered the allegation that the applicant had manipulated weighing receipts alongside the applicant’s claim that he was not involved in transportation for the complainant.

It also took into account that the crime dated from 2015 and that, as the State did not dispute, police had made no attempt to interrogate the applicant before September 2026.

Having regard to these circumstances and the nature of the allegations, the Court allowed anticipatory bail without expressing any view on the merits.

The applicant must be available for interrogation when required, must not influence persons acquainted with the facts or prejudice a fair and expeditious trial, and must attend the trial court on every date fixed until disposal of the trial.

The Court directed that a certified copy be sent to the trial court for information and compliance.