Chattisgarh High Court
Gaurav @ Gaur Pradhan vs State Of Chhattisgarh on 25 August, 2025
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HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR
CRR No. 876 of 2025
GAURAV @ GAUR PRADHAN versus STATE OF CHHATTISGARH
Order Sheet
25/08/2025
Mr. Shikhar Agnihotri & Mr. Rahul Pathak,
Advocates on behalf Mr. Awadh Tripathi, counsel for the
petitioner.
Mr. Sanjeev Pandey, Deputy A.G., for the State.
Heard on I.A. No.1 for suspension of sentence and
grant of bail.
In Criminal Case No.358/2015 the learned JMFC
Sarangarh passed the order dated 31.12.2020 whereby
the applicant was convicted for the offences u/s 457, 354
and 354(a)(1)(i) of IPC and sentenced to undergo RI for 3
years on each count and to pay a fine of Rs.100/-, in
default of payment of fine to further undergo additional SI
for 10 days.
Against the order of JMFC, the applicant preferred
appeal before the Additional Sessions Judge.
By the impugned judgment dated 08.07.2025
passed in Criminal Appeal No. 03/2021, the learned
Additional Judge to the Court of Additional Sessions
Judge, District Sarangarh-Bilaigarh altered the charges
and convicted and sentenced the applicant as under :
u/s 457 IPC : RI for 1 year and fine amount of
Rs.1000/-, in default of payment
of fine, additional imprisonment
for 1 day.
u/s 354 IPC : RI for 1 year and fine amount of
Rs.1000/-, in default of payment
of fine, additional imprisonment
for 1 day.
Learned counsel for the applicant submits that
maximum jail sentence imposed against the applicant is
RI for 1 year and during trial he was in custody for only
21 days and thereafter he was granted bail by the trial
Court and even during the pendency of appeal he was on
bail and did not misuse the liberty granted to him. He
submits that now the applicant is in jail since the date of
judgment of the appellate court i.e., 08.07.2025 and the
hearing of revision on merits is likely to take time,
therefore, the applicant may be enlarged on bail.
Per contra, learned State Counsel opposes the bail
application.
Having regard to the submissions made by learned
counsel for the applicant and further considering the fact
that there is no immediate possibility of hearing the
revision on merits and further looking to the short term
sentence of 1 year RI, I am inclined to suspend the
remaining sentence and release the applicant on bail.
Accordingly, I.A.No. 1 is allowed and it is directed
that the execution of further substantive jail sentence of
the applicant shall remain suspended and he shall be
released on bail on his executing a personal bond in sum
of Rs.25,000/- with one surety in the like sum to the
satisfaction of the trial Court for his appearance before the
Registry of this Court on 03rd November, 2025. He shall
thereafter appear before the trial Court on a date to be
given by the Registry of this Court and shall continue to
appear there on all such subsequent dates as are given to
him by the said Court till the disposal of this appeal.
Cc as per rules.
Sd/-
(Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal)
Judge
Rao
