Varun Puri v. State of Haryana

o o o o o o o o oo INoTHEoHIGHoCOURToOFoPUNJABoANDoHARYANAoATo CHANDIGARHo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 209o o o o o o ooCRM-M-37287-2025o o o o o o o ooDateoofodecision:oo08.08.2025o o o VarunoPurio o o o o o o o o ....Petitionerooo V/so o StateoofoHaryanaoo o o o o o o o o o ....Respondento o o CORAM:oo HON'BLEoMR.oJUSTICEoSUMEEToGOELo o Present:oo Mr.oVinodoGhai,oSenioroAdvocateowitho o o Mr.oArnavoGhai,oAdvocate,oo o o Ms.oKashishoSahni,oAdvocateo&o o o Mr.oR.S.oBagga,oAdvocateoforotheopetitioner.oo o o o o Mr.oGurmeetoSingh,oAAG,oHaryana.o o o oo *****o SUMEEToGOEL,oJ.o(ORAL)oo o

1.o o PresentopetitionohasobeenofiledounderoSectiono483oofoBNSSo 2023oforograntooforegularobailotootheopetitioneroinocaseobearingoFIRoNo.179o datedo 21.04.2019,o registeredo foro theo offenceso punishableo undero Sectionso 406,o420,o467,o468,o471,o34oofoIPCoatoPoliceoStationoSector-50,oDistricto Gurugram.o

2.oo o Theo caseo seto upo ino theo FIRo ino questiono (aso seto outo byo theo petitioneroinotheopresentopetition)oisoasofollows:-o CRM-M-37287-2025o o P a g e o|o2o o o o o "Too Theo Commissionero ofo Police,o Gurugramo Stationo Houseo Officero Policeo Stationo Sector-50,o Gurugram.o C.Mo Window,o Minio Secretariat,o Gurugram.o Subject:o Complainto againstoRamanoPuri,oVikramoPurioandoVarunoPurioDirectorsoofo M/soUniversaloBuildwelloPrivateoLimited,o102,oAntrikshoBhawan,o Kasturbao Gandhio Marg,o Newo Delhi-110001,o foro cheatingo ando playingofraudouponotheocomplainant.oRespectedoSir,oRespectfullyo submitsoasounder:oThatocomplainantoisoaolawoabidingocitizenoando alsooaoseniorocitizenoofothisocountryoandoisoresidentoofoDLF-II,o Gurugram.o Thato accusedo personso hado representedo througho variouso newspaperso thato theyo areo developingo theo projecto ato Sector-66,o Sohnao Road,o Gurgaon,o Haryanao ando aftero goingo througho theo saido advertisementso ando publicationso complainanto bookoaoUnitoinotheosaidoprojectowhichonamedo"UniversaloBusinesso Park",o Sector-66,o Sohna-Gurugramo Road,o Gurugram.o Thato complainantohadopurchasedoaounitoinotheonameoofohisosonoVikramo Malhotraobearingono.o516oono5thofloor,oUniversaloBusinessoPark,o GolfoCourseoExtenstionoRoad,oSector-66,oGurugramoforotheototalo saleo considerationo ofo Rs.59,64,000/-o (Rupeeso Fiftyo Nineo lakhso SixtyoFouroThousandoOnly)owhichoheohadopaidotooaccusedoasopero theirodemands,obutoaccused'sointentionowasobadosinceodayooneoando accusedo trappedo complainanto theo overo theo ando hado noto hando possessiono ofo theo saido propertyo too complainant.o Thato byo theiro misrepresentationoandodeceptionocomplainantowasoconstrainedotoo sellotheosaidounitobutohereoalsooaccusedoagainoofferedocomplainanto thatotheyowillobuyobackotheosaidopropertyofromocomplainant.oThato inopursuanceotoothatoaccusedoofferedoaosumoofoRs.o55oLakhsotoo complainantotoowhichocomplainantohadotooagreeoasotheosaidounito wasounfinishedoandothereowasonoolegaloformalitiesowereocompleteo ofosaidounit.oThatoonceotheocompleteocomplainantoagreedotoothato offeroinothisoregardoaobuyobackoagreementocumoMOUowasoalsoo signedobetweenoaccusedoandocomplainantoono05/05/2016.oThato accusedoagainocheatedocomplainantoandohadoforcedocomplainanto too sello hiso saido unitoforo Rs.47o Lakhso Onlyo whicho waso initiallyo agreedotoobeoselloonoRs.o55oLakhs.oThatocomplainantoalsoohadotoo agreeoonothisoasoheohadonoootherooptionoandofinallyoRs.47oLakhso wasodecidedoasobuyobackopriceoandotheopaymentoofotheosaidoRs.o47o Lakhso haso too beo madeo byo accusedo too complainanto aso pero CRM-M-37287-2025o o P a g e o|o3o o o o scheduledomentionedoinotheosaidoMOUodated:o05thodayoofoMay,o 2016osooinofurtheranceotoothatoaccusedopaido2oLakhsoinitiallyoando thereafteroaccusedohadoissuedo11o(eleven)opostdatedochequesoofo totalo someo ofo Rs.45o lakhso ino favoro ofo complainanto aso pero theo scheduleo mentionedo ino theo saido MOU.o Thato accusedo hado bado intentionoinomindosinceodayooneosooaccusedostoppedocomplainanto too presento thoseo chequeso ono oneo falseo pretexto oro anothero ando beingoaosimpleoandolawoabidingocitizenocomplainantogototrappedo inotheiroconspiracy.oThatothereafterowhenocomplainantofollowoupo witho accusedo theno accusedo againo issuedo someo chequeso ino dischargeo ofo theiro liabilityo buto theno againo accusedo requestedo complainantotoonototoopresentothoseochequesoandofinallyoaccusedo issuedo3ochequesoofoRs.o45olakhsoinototal.oThatooutoofotheosaido cheques,o ao chequeo no.o 743944o dated:o 03/10/2017o ofo Rs.10,00,000/-o(Tenodated:oLakhsoOnly)oandoaochequeono.506748,o dated:o29/09/2017oofoRs.o20,00,000/-o(TwentyoLakhsoOnly)obotho drawno ono Yeso Bank,o DLFo Branch,o Gurugramo wereo uttero presentedo buto too surpriseo ando shocko too complainanto theo saido chequesowereogotodishonoredodueotootheoreasonsoaccountoclosed.o Thato accusedo personso willfullyo ando deliberatelyo too cheato ando defraudo complainanto hado trappedo himo intoo ano conspiracyo ando hadoforcedohimotoodeliverohisohardoearnedomoneyotoothemoandotheo accusedo conspiredo ino colludingo witho eacho othero hado causedo wrongfulolossotoocomplainantoandotoowrongfulogainotoothemselveso aso theiro intention,o fromo theo veryo beginningo waso malafideo ando dishonest.o Thato theo accusedo haso tillo dateo noto returno paido anyo moneyotootheocomplainantoandodidonotopaidoanyoamountotootheo complainant.o Thato theo accusedo haso intentionallyo ando willfullyo cheatedo theo complainanto ando haso mis-utilizedo hiso funds.o Thato accusedo haso beeno madeo too parto awayo witho sucho hugeo amounto underotheofullopromiseomadeobyothem.oThatocomplainantohasobeeno runningofromopillarotoopostoandoisorunningoforohisohardoearnedo moneyo whicho iso beingo grabbedo byo theo accusedo personso ino collusiono witho eacho othero ando haveo committedo theo offenceo ofo cheating,oforgeryoandofraudowithotheocomplainantoandotheyoareo liableo too beo punishedo foro theo same.o Kindlyo takeo theo necessaryo legaloactionoagainstotheoaccusedopersonoforoplayingofraud,oforgeryo ando cheatingo witho theo complainant.o Thankingo you,o Yourso CRM-M-37287-2025o o P a g e o|o4o o o o faithfully,oVikramoMalhotraothroughohisoSPAoJagdishoChandero Malhotra,osonoofoSh.oPannaoLaloMalhotra,oresidentoofo1611-B,o BeverlyoPark-II,oDLFoCity,oGurugram.oM:o9810396779."o o

3.oo o LearnedoSeniorocounseloforotheopetitionerohasoarguedothatotheo petitionero iso ino custodyo sinceo 07.03.2025.o Learnedo Senioro counselo haso iteratedothatotheobusinessoenterprise,oatotheoendoofotheopetitioner,owentoino doldrumoonoaccountoofowhichothereowereofinancialodifficulties.ooLearnedo Senioro counselo foro theo petitionero haso furthero arguedo thato duringo theo pendencyoofotheoproceedingsoinvestigationoResolutionoProfessionalostandso appointedo foro theo companyo ino question.o Learnedo Senioro counselo foro theo petitionerohasofurtheroiteratedothatooffenceoofoSectiono406/420oIPCoisonoto madeooutofromotheofactualomilieuoofotheocaseoinohand.ooo

4.oo o Learnedo Stateo counselo haso opposedo theo presento petitiono byo arguingo thato theo allegationso raisedo againsto theo petitionero areo seriouso ino natureoand,othus,oheodoesonotodeserveotheoconcessionoofotheoregularobail.o LearnedoStateocounseloseeksotooplaceoonorecordocustodyocertificateodatedo

06.08.2025oinoCourt,owhichoisotakenoonorecord.o

5.oo o Io haveo heardo counselo foro theo rivalo partieso ando haveo goneo throughotheoavailableorecordsoofotheocase.o

6.oo o Theo petitionero waso arrestedo ono 07.03.2025o whereino aftero investigationowaso carriedo outoando challano wasopresentedo ono02.05.2025.oo Totalo16oprosecutionowitnessohaveobeenocited,ooutoofowhichononeohasobeeno examinedo tillo date.o o Ito iso noto ino disputeo thato theo trialo ino questiono iso magisterialoone.ooTheorivalocontentionsoraisedoatoBarogiveoriseotoodebatableo issuesoshallobeoratiocinatedouponoduringotheocourseoofotrial.oThisoCourtodoeso CRM-M-37287-2025 P a g e | 5

o notodeemoitoappropriateotoodel6eodeepointootheseori6alocontentions,oatothiso stage,olestoitomayopre:udiceotheotrial.o!othingotangibleohasobeenobroughto for3ardotooindicateotheoli8elihoodoofotheopetitioneroabscondingofromotheo processoofo:usticeoorointerferingo3ithotheoprosecutionoe6idence.o *.'.oo o Aso pero custodyo certificateo datedo #*.#8."#"-o filedo byo theo learnedoStateocounsel,otheopetitioneroisoinocustodyoinotheocaseoinohandosinceo #(.#3."#"-.o $urther,o aso pero theo saido custodyo certificateo theo petitionero iso statedotoobeoin6ol6edoinomultipleo$%&s.ooHowever, this factum cannot be a ground sufficient by itself, to decline the concession of regular bail to the petitioner in the FIR in question when a case is made out for grant of regular bail qua the FIR in question by ratiocinating upon the facts/circumstances of the said FIR. Reliance in this regard can be placed upon the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Maulana Mohd. Amir Rashadi v. State of U.P. and another, 2012 (1) RCR (Criminal) 586; a Division Bench judgment of the Hon'ble Calcutta High Court in case of Sridhar Das v. State, 1998 (2) RCR (Criminal) 477 & judgments of this Court in CRM-M No.38822-2022 titled as Akhilesh Singh v. State of Haryana, decided on 29.11.2021, and Balraj v. State of Haryana, 1998 (3) RCR (Criminal) 191. Suffice to say, the further detention of the petitioner in custody is not required in the facts and circumstances of the case.

¶7In view of the above, the petition is allowed. Petitioner is ordered to be released on regular bail on his furnishing bail/surety bonds to the satisfaction of the learned concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate. However, CRM-M-37287-2025 P a g e | 6

o in addition to conditions that may be imposed by the concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate, the petitioner shall remain bound by the following conditions:-

(i) The petitioner shall not mis-use the liberty granted.

(ii) The petitioner shall not tamper with any evidence, oral or documentary, during the trial.

(iii) The petitioner shall not absent himself on any date before the trial.

(iv) The petitioner shall not commit any offence while on bail.

(v) The petitioner shall deposit his passport, if any, with the trial Court.

(vi) The petitioner shall give his cell phone number to the Investigating Officer/SHO of concerned Police Station and shall not change his cell-phone number without prior permission of the trial Court/Illaqa Magistrate.

(vii) The petitioner shall not in any manner try to delay the trial.

(viii) The petitioner shall submit, on the first working day of every month, an affidavit, before the concerned trial Court, to the effect that she has not been involved in commission of any offence after being released on bail. In case the petitioner is found to be involved in any offence after her being enlarged on bail in the present FIR, on the basis of her affidavit or otherwise, the State is mandated to move, forthwith, for cancellation of her bail which plea, but of course, shall be ratiocinated upon merits thereof.

¶8In case of breach of any of the aforesaid conditions and those which may be imposed by concerned CJM/Duty Magistrate as directed hereinabove or upon showing any other sufficient cause, the CRM-M-37287-2025 P a g e | 7

o State/complainant shall be at liberty to move cancellation of bail of the petitioner.

¶9Ordered accordingly.

¶10Nothing said hereinabove shall be construed as an expression of opinion on the merits of the case.

¶11Since the main case has been decided, pending miscellaneous application, if any, shall also stands disposed off.

(SUMEET GOEL) JUDGE August 08, 2025 3a,eeno o o o o