Authority: High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh
Order Date: 09 July 2026
Case Overview
- Parties: Petitioner Kanav Patel alias Aniket vs. State of Punjab.
- FIR registered on 08 June 2026 under Section 24 of the Emigration Act at SAS Nagar (Mohali) alleging that Mahesh, operating the \"Future Funders\" emigration agency, along with Simran Singh Sidhu, solicited individuals for overseas travel, retained their passports and extracted large sums of money.
- Police investigation and raid on Plot No. F‑538, Amar Tower recovered eight Indian passports, educational certificates, one laptop and several mobile phones; Mahesh and several employees were arrested and the petitioner was named as an accused and partner, responsible for signing documents, controlling operations and rent agreement.
- The petitioner filed an anticipatory bail application under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; the Additional Sessions Judge, SAS Nagar dismissed it on 22 June 2026.
- Counsel for the petitioner argued lack of prior sanction under Section 27 of the Emigration Act, no need for custodial interrogation, and that he was falsely implicated.
- State counsel contended the allegations were serious, the petitioner had no licence, and custodial interrogation was essential for investigation.
Final Outcome
- The Court held that custodial interrogation of the petitioner is necessary to elicit information about the alleged offences and that no exceptional or extraordinary circumstances exist to justify anticipatory bail.
- Consequently, the anticipatory bail petition is dismissed, and the order has no bearing on the merits of the criminal case.
Topics: Anticipatory Bail, Emigration Fraud, Criminal Procedure