The Delhi High Court has turned down a third anticipatory bail plea filed by Manoj Kumar Jha, a man accused of impersonating a civil servant and even a Patna High Court judge to extract sensitive information from senior officials. Justice Girish Kathpalia, who heard the matter, didn't just reject the bail application he also pulled up the local police for sitting on their hands despite courts repeatedly refusing to protect the accused from arrest.
Background Of The Case
The case stems from an FIR registered at PS Parliament Street in 2024, under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with impersonation and related offences. According to the prosecution, Jha allegedly posed as a government officer and tried to obtain confidential information from various senior authorities, going as far as passing himself off as a judge of the Patna High Court.
This wasn't his first brush with the law over such allegations. Court records placed before the bench listed a dozen separate FIRs against him from different states Haryana, Punjab, Bihar and Chandigarh spanning offences like cheating, forgery and impersonation, dating back to 2010. One particularly striking entry was a CBI case where he allegedly cheated a person of Rs 80 lakh by posing as the Chairman of the National Highway Authority of India, with 200 SIM cards recovered from his premises in Bokaro.
His counsel, Aditya Kapoor, argued that since two earlier anticipatory bail pleas were dismissed in 2024 and 2025 and even the Supreme Court had rejected his SLP in September 2025 yet police still hadn't arrested him, this showed custody wasn't really necessary.
Court's Observation
The bench wasn't convinced. The court noted the accused was a habitual offender and said it remained bound by judicial discipline, especially since the Supreme Court had already found the case unfit for anticipatory bail with no change in circumstances since then.
What stood out was the court's sharp remark on police conduct. Justice Kathpalia observed he was surprised that despite dismissal of repeated bail applications right up to the Supreme Court, local police had taken no steps to arrest the accused, which conveyed an impression that he was being helped and that something more met the eye.
Decision
The court dismissed the anticipatory bail application. It further directed that a copy of the order be sent to the concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police for information and necessary action.
Case Details
Case Title: Manoj Kumar Jha v. State Govt. of NCT of Delhi
Case Number: BAIL APPLN. 3143/2026 | CNR No. DLHC010356952026
Judge: Justice Girish Kathpalia
Decision Date: 06 August 2026
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