# Sri Gaurav Sharma & Anr. vs. The Station House Officer & Anr.

> HC judgment dated 2026-07-06. Citation: TCN-2026-HC-00042. The petitioners, Sri Gaurav Sharma and Smt. Veena Bharadwaj, who are accused nos. 1 and 3 in Crime…

- **Court:** HC
- **Order date:** 6 Jul 2026
- **Citation:** TCN-2026-HC-00042
- **Category:** IBC
- **Source page:** https://caseease.in/cases/ibc/karnataka-high-court-bengaluru/sri-gaurav-sharma-anr-vs-the-station-house-officer-anr-tbemz

## Summary

### Background

The petitioners, Sri Gaurav Sharma and Smt. Veena Bharadwaj, who are accused nos. 1 and 3 in Crime No. 51/2026, filed a criminal petition under Section 482 of BNSS, 2023, seeking anticipatory bail. The case was registered by the CCB Bengaluru City Police for offences under Sections 316, 61, 336(3), 318(4), 340(2) of BNSS, 2023, and Section 447 of the Companies Act, 1956. The FIR was based on a complaint by respondent no.2, Pankaj Kumar, who is the defacto complainant and a current Director of M/s. Blue Hat Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The petitioners were founder directors of this company but were subsequently removed after Pankaj Kumar and Mukund Vitthal Khare were inducted as directors. The petitioners had previously sought anticipatory bail from the jurisdictional Sessions

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## Facts

Petitioners are accused nos. 1 & 3 in Crime No. 51/2026.

Crime No. 51/2026 was registered by the CCB Bengaluru City Police for offences under Sections 316, 61, 336(3), 318(4), 340(2) of BNSS, 2023, and Section 447 of the Companies Act, 1956.

The petitioners filed a petition under Section 482 of BNSS, 2023, seeking anticipatory bail.

The FIR in Crime No. 51/2026 was based on a first information dated 29.04.2026 received from respondent no.2, Pankaj Kumar, who is the defacto complainant.

The petitioners were Founder Directors of M/s. Blue Hat Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Respondent no.2, Pankaj Kumar, was inducted as a Director in M/s. Blue Hat Solutions Pvt. Ltd. in 2020 and brought in some investment.

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## Issues and analysis

### Issue 1: Whether the petitioners are entitled to …

**Ratio:** Anticipatory bail can be granted if the underlying dispute appears to be primarily civil,

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**Reasoning:** The court noted that the petitioners were removed from directorship in 2024, and the FIR

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**Interpretation:** The court interpreted the timing of the FIR and the prior civil proceedings as

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**Application:** Based on the civil nature of the dispute, the petitioners' lack of criminal

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## Parties

- **Judges:** S. Vishwajith…
- **Appellants:** GAURAV S…; VEENA BHA…
- **Respondents:** M/s. Blue Hat…; THE STATION HOUSE…; +1 more
- **Other parties:** Mukund Vitthal…
- **Advocates:** JAIRA…; RASHMI J…; +2 more

## Timeline

- **2020 — Induction of Pankaj…**: Pankaj Kumar was inducted as a Director in M/s. Blue Hat Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and brought…
- **2024 — Induction of Mukund Vitthal Khare & Removal of…**: Mukund Vitthal Khare was inducted as a Director in M/s. Blue Hat Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The…

## Legal provisions

- [Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, Section 61 — Appeals and Appellate Authority](https://caseease.in/legal-provisions/insolvency-and-bankruptcy-code-2016/section-61)

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