#criminalization of civil matters

Allahabad High Court ruled that mere gravity of allegations cannot override bail principles under Section 482 BNSS, especially when commercial transactions are falsely cast as criminal offenses. The court emphasized that anticipatory bail should not be denied without substantive evidence linking the accused to criminal intent, reinforcing safeguards against misuse of criminal law in civil disputes.

The Punjab & Haryana High Court ruled that unverified cash payments and failure to execute a sale deed in a property dispute do not constitute criminal cheating under Section 420 IPC without clear evidence of dishonest intent at the time of agreement. The judgment reinforces that civil disputes cannot be criminalized absent fraudulent mens rea, protecting parties from misuse of criminal process in contractual disagreements.