SHYAMARAJU Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This petition is filed by accused No.4 under Sec. 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, for granting regular bail in Crime No.180/2022 registered by Halasurgate Police Station, for the offences punishable under Ss. 255 , 258 , 259 , 260 , 465 , 468 , 473 , 420 r/w Sec. 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, pending on the file of 1st ACMM, Bengaluru.

(2.) Heard the arguments of learned senior counsel for the petitioner and learned High Court Government Pleader for the respondent-State.

(3.) The case of the prosecution is that suo-moto complaint was registered by Halasurugate Police for the aforesaid offences against accused persons on 19/7/2022, stating that they have got the information that some persons were selling the fake e-stamps at Kandaya Bhavana, Bengaluru. Hence, the complainant set up a D-Kayath customer by sending one Naveen Kumar, Head Constable 11048 for purchasing the old stamp paper. Accordingly, the D-Kayath customer/police men went and met one Karthik and asked about old stamp papers for the face value of Rs.50.00 five in numbers and stamp papers for the face value of Rs.10.00 five in numbers. The said accused has assured and has taken him to meet One Vishwanath/accused No.1. Subsequently, the said Vishwanath undertook to give the E-stamp and asked to give a sum of Rs.10,000.00 as advance amount and to give e-stamp for the face value of Rs.10.00, they have charged Rs.5,000.00 and to give e-stamp for the face value of Rs.50.00, they have charged Rs.6,000.00. Accordingly, on 19/7/2022 at 07:30 a.m., the accused No.3/Venkatesh and petitioner-accused No.4 who brought the said e-stamp papers. Then police trapped them and seized ten stamp papers under seizure panchanama and arrested them and remanded to judicial custody. The petitioner approached this Court twice and the bail application was dismissed as withdrawn on 23/9/2022 and subsequently, the successive bail petition was dismissed on 18/1/2023 on merits. Now, the petitioner is once again before this Court.