#cooperative society fraud

The Kerala High Court granted pre-arrest bail to a cooperative society board member who never directly received funds from victims, emphasizing that mere membership in a fraudulent entity, without personal enrichment or active inducement, cannot justify custodial interrogation when the investigation is nearly concluded. This ruling reinforces that BNSS Section 482 must be applied with nuance - proximity to the offense is not enough; direct culpability and investigative necessity must be proven.