Allahabad High Court Grants Bail To Man Accused Of Operating Fake Embassy, Posing As 'Consul'

The Allahabad High Court recently granted bail to a 49-year-old man accused of operating a fake embassy in Ghaziabad and running a 'Consulate' while claiming himself to be a 'Royal Advisor'.Considering the fact that a charge sheet has been filed and further custodial interrogation of the accused is not required, a bench of Justice Ashutosh Srivastava granted bail to the applicant, Harshvardhan Jain, who was arrested by the UP-STF in July last year.Briefly put, the prosecution's case is that Jain ran a 'Consulate' while claiming to be a diplomat of the non-existent 'West Arctica' and engaged in brokering deals by falsely promising job placements for agencies and individuals in foreign countries. It was also claimed that incriminating material was recovered from his possession, including 4 cars bearing fake diplomatic number plates, forged diplomatic passports of the so-called micronations, fake documents stamped with the seal of the Ministry of External Affairs, etc.Seeking bail, his counsel argued that his Indian Passport was genuine and the six additional passports and diplomatic number plates were merely "novelty souvenirs" issued by various micronations, i.e., Principality of Seborga, Lostisland, West Artica, etc. It was argued that these items are intended for identification and ceremonial purposes within those organizations and were never utilized as official travel credentials or to impersonate state officials. It was also claimed that there had been no violation of the Indian Passport Act and that the vehicles seized bore genuine Indian Registration Numbers and no offence or violation of the Motor Vehicles Act could be attributed to him. Importantly, it was also contended that no complaint or FIR had been lodged against the applicant alleging fraud, duping, or criminal inducement. It was argued that the 22 registered corporate entities and their seals are legitimate and have remained dormant with no bank transactions or trade activity precluding any financial impropriety. It was stated that Jain had not morphed any photographs, and that the meetings with high-profile dignitaries, including former Presidents Shankar Dayal Sharma and APJ Abdul Kalam, as well as PM Narendra Modi, are all authentic and can be verified via official entry registers.It was further argued that there is no sign or Board at the applicant's residence claiming it to be an Embassy. A small nameplate merely identified the applicant as a "Royal Advisor" and hence, no offence as alleged in the FIR can be said to be made out against the applicant. On the other hand, the AGA for the state opposed the bail plea by submitting that incriminating material had been collected against him during the investigation, which established the complicity of the applicant in the commission of the crime alleged.However, considering the facts and circumstances, the nature of accusations and that a chargesheet had been filed under Sections 318(4), 319, 336(3), 338, 340(2) and 341(1) BNS, the Court granted him bail.Case title - Harshvardhan Jain vs State of UP 2026 LiveLaw (AB) 220Case citation: 2026 LiveLaw (AB) 220Click Here To Read/Download Order

Allahabad High Court Grants Bail To Man Accused Of Operating Fake Embassy, Posing As 'Consul'

Sparsh Upadhyay

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