Ramesh Chandra Vs State of NCT of Delhi — Anticipatory Bail | Delhi HC (2025)

Ramesh Chandra Vs State of NCT of Delhi — Anticipatory Bail | Delhi HC (2025)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Anticipatory bail granted to Ramesh Chandra in the event of arrest, subject to: (i) personal bond of Rs. 35,000/- with one surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the Investigating Officer/Arresting Officer; (ii) joining the investigation and cooperating as and when called; (iii) furnishing an active cellphone number kept switched-on at all times; (iv) no contact, inducement, threat or promise to prosecution witnesses or persons acquainted with the facts; (v) no tampering with evidence. Pending application(s) disposed of.

Issue for consideration

Whether the Petitioner, Ramesh Chandra, is entitled to anticipatory bail under Sections 482/528 BNSS, 2023 in FIR No. 358/2025 (PS Sarai Rohilla) under Sections 80(2)/85/3(5) BNS, 2023, arising from the death of Ms. Kanchan Rathore.

Court's answer

Considering the totality of the circumstances, the Petitioner is to be admitted to anticipatory bail in the event of arrest by the Investigating Officer/Arresting Officer, subject to the imposed conditions (personal bond of Rs. 35,000/- with one surety in the like amount; joining and cooperating in investigation; keeping an active cellphone number; no contact, inducement, threat or promise to prosecution witnesses; no tampering with evidence).

Ratio / Principle

The only allegations made against the Applicant and other family members (the deceased's brother's statement of a persistent demand of Rs. 10 lakhs) are omnibus.

Key takeaways

All the other co-accused, including the husband, had already been granted anticipatory bail, and the Applicant had already joined the investigation.ratio¶34

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Anticipatory bail granted (Neena Bansal Krishna, J., 13.11.2025). First bail application under Section 482 read with Section 528 BNSS, 2023 by Ramesh Chandra in FIR No. 358/2025, PS Sarai Rohilla, under Sections 80(2)/85/3(5) BNS, 2023, arising from the fall to death of his daughter-in-law by marriage, Ms. Kanchan Rathore, from a third-floor window of her matrimonial home on 26.06.2025 while hanging clothes; MLC recorded cause of death as 'self-fall' with blunt surface impact injuries, no external injuries, strangulation marks or poisoning, and no suicide note. Deceased had a documented history of depression from December 2024. The Court noted that the only allegations against the Applicant and family members (persistent demand of Rs. 10 lakhs) were omnibus; that all other co-accused, including the husband, had already been granted anticipatory bail; and that the Applicant had joined the investigation. Bail granted in the event of arrest on a personal bond of Rs. 35,000/- with one surety in the like amount, with conditions to join investigation, keep an active phone number, not influence witnesses and not tamper with evidence.

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

- BAIL APPLN. 3359/2025, CRL.M.A. 26184/2025 (for interim protection)

RAMESH CHANDRA .....Petitioner

Through: Mr. Kundan Chandrvanshi, Mr. Ankur Yadav, Mr. Anuj Goswami, Mr. Aslam Khan, Advocates.

versus

STATE OF NCT OF DELHI .....Respondent Through: Mr. Utkarsh, APP for the State. CORAM:

HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE NEENA BANSAL KRISHNA

O R D E R

% 13.11.2025

BAIL APPLN. 3359/2025

First Bail Application under Section 482 read with Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (hereinafter referred to as „B.N.S.S.‟), has been filed on behalf of the Petitioner, Mr. Ramesh Chandra for grant of Anticipatory Bail in FIR No. 358/2025 dated 27.06.2025 under Section 80(2)/85/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, registered at Police Station Sarai Rohilla.

Status Report has been filed today on behalf of the State. Let the sme be taken on record.

It is submitted that the deceased, Ms. Kanchan Rathore (now deceased) got married to the son of the Applicant on 12.11.2024, as per the mutual agreement between the families. The total expenditure of Rs.20 Lakhs, which was equally shared by both the families.

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On account of sudden demise of father of Ms. Kanchan in December, 2024, she suffered a trauma and started exhibiting symptoms of depression, low mood and excessive throught processing. Her psychiatric treatment was commenced in January, 2025 at Max Healthcare and Jeevan Mala Hospital. Medical reports mention “excessive thought process, ruminations, insomnia, forgetfulness, low mood PPTING Factor-father’s illness, death, pessimism ” and “H/o depression x 4 months.” From January to June 2025, the Applicant‟s son and his wife, Smt. Mithlesh Devi, regularly accompanied Ms. Kanchan for consultations and treatment, indicating a supportive and caring matrimonial home environment.

It is claimed that the deceased and the Applicant‟s son enjoyed a harmonious, affectionate marital life. They had gone to Andaman Islands for Honeymoon and had travelled to Mukteshwar (Uttarakhand) and visited the ancestral village of the Accused, watched multiple movies together and made shared financial decisions. There are numerous WhatsApp Chats, photos, videos and shopping bills to corroborate their emotional bond and stability.

The Applicant‟s son all throughout encouraged her to invest in IPOS and equity markets. The copy of the WhatsApp conversations have been annexed.

The co-accused, Ms. Neetu Rathaur left for her parental home with her two children on 04.06.2025, due to the elder daughter‟s school summer holidays. She was away from the matrimonial home till 26.06.2025. The Applicant‟s son and the deceased went to watch movies at theater on 25.06.2025.

However on 26.06.2025, at around 12:30 p.m., Ms. Kanchan fell from

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the third floor window of her matrimonial home while attempting to hang wet clothes on a string outside the window by using a plastic chair. She was taken to NKS Hospital where she was declared “brought dead” The cause of death has been recorded in the MLC as “self-fall” with injuries from blunt surface impact. No external injuries, strangulation marks, or poisoning was noted. No suicide note was recovered from the scene at that time. The Applicant was not present at their home, on the date of incident i.e. 26.06.2025.

FIR No. 358/2025 dated 27.06.2025 under Section 80(2)/85/3(5) of BNS, 2023 got registered at Police Station Sarai Rohilla. 10. It is claimed that there are no specific allegations made against any of the accused persons. Learned ASJ had granted Interim protection to Sonu Rathore, son of the Applicant on 04.07.2025 with direction to join the investigations. He has been granted bail.

Likewise, Smt. Mithilesh Devi, mother-in-law and Ms. Neetu Rathore, Bhabhi had also been given protection. They have joined the investigations.

The Anticipatory Bail is sought on the grounds that there is no specific role or allegations against the Applicant. The evidence as collected by the Police, completely and unequivocally exonerates the Applicant. He was not present at the site of incident. The medical and forensic evidence also supports the accidental death. The deceased was having a history of clincial depression.

Moreover, no custodial interrogation of the Applicant, is required. The other co-accused, have been granted interim protection by this Court ( now al three have been granted Anticipatory Bail by this Court) . Hence, a

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prayer is made that he may be granted Anticipatory Bail.

The State has submitted the Report wherein the details of the investigations have been mentioned. It is stated that the Statements of the family members of the deceased, Ms. Kanchan Rathore, have been recorded wherein it has been stated that there were persistant demands of Rs.10 Lakhs from the deceased. However, it has been found that Rs.10 Lakhs had been transferred Online to the family of the Applicant, at the time of marriage. The medical treatment papers of the deceased, have been verified from the concerned hospitals. The visra of the deceased and her mobile phone, as well as, the co-accused, Mr. Sanjay Rathore, (husband) have been sent to FSL, New Delhi.

Submissions heard and the record perused.

It is an unfortunate case of demise of Ms. Kanchan, aged about 28 years within a span of 7-8 months of her marriage. The only allegations which have made against the Applicant and other family members, are omnibus. The brother of the deceased, has stated that they had been informed by the deceased that there had been persistent demand of Rs.10 lakhs from her regularly. These are nothing, but omnibus allegations made against the Applicant. Moreover, custodial interrogation is required. All the other co-accused including the husband, have already been granted Anticipatory Bail. The Applicant has already joined the investigations. 16. Considering the totality of the circumstances, it is directed that in the event of his arrest, the Petitioner shall be admitted to Anticipatory Bail by the Investigating Officer/Arresting Officer, subject to the following conditions:-

(i) The Petitioner shall furnish a personal bond in the sum of

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Rs.35,000/- with one surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the Investigating Officer/Arresting Officer.

(ii) The Petitioner shall join the investigations, as and when called by the Investigating Officer and shall co-operate during the investigations.

(iii) The Petitioner shall furnish his cellphone number to the Investigating Officer on which he may be contacted at any time and shall ensure that the number is kept active and switched-on at all times.

(iv) The petitioner shall not contact, nor visit, nor offer any inducement, threat or promise to any of the prosecution witnesses or other persons acquainted with the facts of case.

(v) The petitioner shall not tamper with evidence nor otherwise indulge in any act or omission that is unlawful or that would prejudice the proceedings in the pending trial.

The Bail Application stands disposed of in the above terms. Pending Application, if any, also stands disposed of.

NEENA BANSAL KRISHNA, J

NOVEMBER 13, 2025/RS

This is a digitally signed order.

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 14/11/2025 at 11:29:08