Disposed¶20

Kanika Gautam v. State NCT of Delhi

Delhi HC20 Feb 2026W.P.(CRL)/605/2026

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

Transfer of investigation to Economic Offence Wing (EOW), Crime Branch; FIR No.410/2024; Section 420 IPC (cheating); P.S. Kalkaji; alleged siphoned-off amount approx. Rs. 74 crores; Trial Court direction dated 10.09.2024; concession/no-objection by Standing Counsel for State NCT of Delhi (Amol Sinha, APP); S.I Pradeep Chauhan directed to hand over entire file; express clarification of no observation on conduct of investigation so far; petition disposed of; Delhi High Court; Justice Manoj Jain; W.P.(CRL) 605/2026; decided 20.02.2026.

What did the court decide?

Transfer of the ongoing investigation in FIR No.410/2024 to the Economic Offence Wing (EOW), Crime Branch; S.I Pradeep Chauhan directed to hand over the entire file to EOW for further investigation in accordance with law. ¶20

Kanika Gautam Vs State NCT of Delhi — Cheating and Forgery | Delhi HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

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Issue for consideration

Whether the ongoing investigation in FIR No.410/2024 (Section 420 IPC, P.S. Kalkaji) should be transferred from the present agency to the Economic Offence Wing (EOW), Crime Branch.

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Ratio / Principle

The investigation in FIR No.410/2024 is transferred, following the Standing Counsel for the State indicating no objection to further investigation by EOW.

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Key takeaways

S.I Pradeep Chauhan, who was present, is directed to hand over the entire file to the office of EOW so that further investigation, in accordance with law, is conducted by EOW.ratio¶19
Clarification: the transfer was made only in view of the concession shown by the learned Standing Counsel for the respondent/State, and the Court makes no observation on the manner in which the investigation has been conducted so far.ratio¶21

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Delhi High Court (Hon'ble Mr. Justice Manoj Jain), by order dated 20.02.2026 in W.P.(CRL) 605/2026, disposed of a petition by Kanika Gautam seeking transfer of the ongoing investigation in FIR No.410/2024, Section 420 IPC, P.S. Kalkaji, to the Economic Offence Wing (EOW), Crime Branch. The petitioner alleged siphoning of approximately Rs. 74 crores and inaction since the Trial Court's direction of 10.09.2024. The Standing Counsel for the State, while submitting that the investigation was going on fairly and transparently, had no objection to further investigation by EOW; the Court accordingly transferred the investigation and directed S.I Pradeep Chauhan to hand over the entire file to EOW for further investigation in accordance with law. The Court clarified that the transfer rested solely on the State's concession and that no observation was made on the manner in which the investigation had been conducted so far.

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$~44

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

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- W.P.(CRL) 605/2026 & CRL.M.A. 5771/2026 & CRL.M.A. 5772/2026

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KANIKA GAUTAM

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.....Petitioner

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Through: Mr. Deepak Sharma, Mr. Ashish Sharma and Mr. Himanshu Shammi, Advocates.

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versus

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STATE NCT OF DELHI .....Respondent Through: Mr. Amol Sinha APP for the State with S.I. Pradeep Chauhan.

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CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE MANOJ JAIN

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O R D E R % 20.02.2026

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The petitioner seeks transfer of the ongoing investigation in FIR No.410/2024 under Section 420 IPC from P.S. Kalkaji to Economic Offence Wing (EOW), Crime Branch.

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It is submitted that the magnitude of the siphoned-off amount is approximately Rs. 74 crores and the learned Trial Court had directed investigation way back on 10.09.2024 and nothing substantial has been done so far. It is submitted that, on the contrary, the complainant is being called, time and again, without there being any development in the matter.

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Learned Standing Counsel for the State appears on advance notice and submits that the investigation is, though, going on in a fair and transparent manner, in order to remove any doubt in the mind of the complainant, he

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W.P.(CRL) 605/2026 1

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This is a digitally signed order.

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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 23/02/2026 at 12:14:06

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would have no objection if the matter is investigated further by EOW.

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The investigation is, accordingly, transferred.

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S.I Pradeep Chauhan is present and he is directed to hand-over the entire file to the office of EOW so that further investigation, in accordance with law, is conducted by EOW.

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The petition stands disposed of in aforesaid term.

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However, it is clarified that the transfer has been made in view of the concession shown by the learned Standing Counsel for the respondent/State and there is no observation, with respect to the manner in which the investigation has been conducted so far.

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MANOJ JAIN, J

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FEBRUARY 20, 2026 lp/pb

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W.P.(CRL) 605/2026 2

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This is a digitally signed order.

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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 23/02/2026 at 12:14:06

Kanika Gautam v. State NCT of Delhi

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Kanika Gautam v. State NCT of Delhi

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Why is it important?

What the court decided

Issues for consideration

Statutes considered

Procedural history

Parties & counsel

Coram

Case details

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