Authority: High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur

Order Date: 08 July 2026

Case Overview

  • Applicant: Chanpreet Singh, 36‑year‑old truck driver, resident of Navyug School, Veer Sawarkar Nagar, P.S. Kabir Nagar, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
  • Respondent: State of Chhattisgarh through Station House Officer, P.S. Kabir Nagar, Raipur.
  • FIR registered as Crime No. 17/2025 at Kabir Nagar Police Station for an offence punishable under Section 420 IPC (cheating).
  • Underlying dispute: a notarised agreement dated 24‑12‑2019 for sale of land and house in Village Sondongri, Raipur for Rs 32,51,000. Applicant received Rs 3,03,000 as earnest money; the property was mortgaged to Home First Finance Company for a loan of Rs 14,00,000. The complainant and her husband later paid Rs 29,50,000, mortgage was redeemed, and title documents handed over on 18‑03‑2021.
  • On 17‑12‑2024 the complainant received a notice from the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) indicating the same property had also been mortgaged to the Central Bank under a loan for a two‑wheeler, leading to attachment proceedings. The DRT case OA No. 499/2016 had been decided, and Recovery Case No. RC/6/2017 was pending against the applicant.
  • Applicant’s counsel contended that the applicant never mortgaged the title documents to the Central Bank, that the loan was under the Small Road Transport Operators (SRTO) Scheme which requires only hypothecation of the vehicle, and that the DRT judgment dated 07‑12‑2016 was ex‑parte and unknown to the applicant until later.
  • Applicant has been in custody since 10‑06‑2026, has no prior criminal record, and is a travelling truck driver who was in Punjab at the time of FIR registration.

Final Outcome

  • The Court, after hearing counsel and reviewing the case diary, held that the applicant is entitled to regular bail.
  • Bail is granted on a personal bond with two sureties, subject to the following conditions: (i) no adjournment requests when witnesses are present; (ii) personal or counsel‑represented presence on every court date; (iii) issuance of proclamation under Section 84 BNSS and possible proceedings under Section 209 BNSS for non‑appearance; (iv) presence on dates of case opening, charge framing, and statement recording under Section 351 BNSS, with default treated as abuse of liberty.
  • The order directs the office to send a certified copy to the trial court for compliance.

Topics: Bail, Property Mortgage Dispute