1 SNS IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MUMBAI APPELLATE CRIMINAL JURISDICTION CRIMINAL BAIL APPLICATION NO. 205 OF 2011 Paras Balchand Badani ...Applicant. v. The State of Maharashtra ...Respondents. Mr. Kuldeep S. Patil ,adv. For the Applicant. Smt. G.P.Mulekar, APP For the Respondent/State. CORAM : J.H. BHATIA, J. DATED : FEBRUARY 10, 2011. P.C. 1 Applicant seeks to be released on bail in crime no.37 of 2011 registered at Malad police station for the offences punishable under sections 4 and 5 of Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act, Section 25(a), (b) and (c) of the Indian Telegraph Act and under Section 465, 467, 468, 471, 420 r/w 34 of the I.P.C. 2 Prosecution case in brief, is that, on 25.1.2011 a cricket match was going on between Queensland and Western Australia and was being live telecast on T.V. Applicant and his companions were accepting bets for the said match. On information police raided flat no.404, C2, Kokil Co-operative Housing Society, Sunder Nagar, Malad (West) where the present applicant and two others namely Harish Chawla and Rajesh 2 Vora were found. Laptop, two calculators, 14 mobile phone sets were also found. All these articles were seized and the above referred offences were registered. Application filed by the present applicant was rejected on 4.2.2011 by the learned Additional Sessions Judge. The learned counsel for the applicant points out that other two accused in the similar circumstances were granted bail on 1.2.2011 by the another learned additional Sessions Judge. According to him, on the principle of parity, applicant deserves to be granted bail. The learned counsel also points out that offences under Sections 4 and 5 of the Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act are bailable. The learned APP could not explain on what basis offences under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 r/w section 34 of the I.P.C. and under Indian Telegraphic Act came to be registered. At the most, it is case under Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act. It is the contention of the learned counsel for the applicant that section 467 IPC appears to have been applied merely because it carries punishment of life imprisonment and applicant may not get bail from the Magistrate's Court. 3 In view of the above circumstances, applicant is granted bail in the sum of Rs.30,000/- with one solvent surety with condition that he shall attend Malad Police Station on every day between 6 to 8 p.m. till 3 the ensuing world cup cricket matches are over. (J.H. BHATIA,J.)