SabPaisa CEO Kumar Manish gets bail in GST case
Manish was arrested on April 17, 2026 by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Ghaziabad Unit, under multiple provisions of the CGST Act, 2017.
2 min read
The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to Kumar Manish, a director of SRS Live Technologies Pvt Ltd, which operates payment gateway SabPaisa, in a case involving the alleged diversion of funds from an escrow account used by online gaming merchants.
Justice Vikram D. Chauhan granted bail on September 28.
In a statement, the company said that the High Court's order "marks a significant development in the case, while the proceedings will continue in accordance with law".
Manish was arrested on April 17, 2026 by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Ghaziabad Unit, under multiple provisions of the CGST Act, 2017. The GST authorities accused him of facilitating transactions for dozens of allegedly fake online gaming entities that collectively evaded hundreds of crores in GST.
In May, the Special Chief Judicial Magistrate, Meerut, had rejected the bail application.
The Allahabad High Court noted in the latest order noted that the investigation was complete and a complaint had been filed. It also observed that the alleged offences carried a maximum prison term of five years and that the trial was unlikely to conclude within a year.
The court further noted that Manish had no criminal antecedents on record and that there was no material to suggest he would flee, tamper with evidence or influence witnesses.
The defence argued that the transactions were part of regular business operations and that the evidence was documentary. The DGGI opposed bail, alleging that funds had been diverted to companies linked to Manish.
The court directed that Manish be released on furnishing a personal bond and two sureties of the same amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned.
The conditions include appearing before the trial court as required, not tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses, not committing a similar offence, and not leaving India without prior permission. He must also inform the court in writing if he changes his residential address.
This case is part of a broader DGGI crackdown on the payments companies facilitating online gaming transactions. The DGGI's probe into banned online gaming has already led to multiple arrests across sectors, including Fino Payments Bank MD and CEO.