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Patna High Court

Buban Sahni @ BabanversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

Provisional anticipatory bail was granted, subject to verification of antecedents, with the possibility of revocation if more than one prior case is found.

Summary

Petitioner Buban Sahni sought anticipatory bail in a case registered under Sections 30(a) and 41(1) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, alleging that the alleged liquor recovery was from a public riverbank and that he had no conscious possession. He contended that the complaint was filed by a hostile chowkidar and that no prior police information was given. The State opposed the bail. The High Court, considering these submissions, granted provisional anticipatory bail on a bail bond of Rs.5,000 with two sureties, subject to verification of the petitioner’s criminal antecedents under Section 482(2) of the B.N.S.S. The order stipulated that if more than one antecedent is found, the bail would be revoked; otherwise, it would be confirmed.

Issues considered

  • Whether anticipatory bail can be granted in offences punishable under Sections 30(a) and 41(1) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act.
  • Whether the petitioner’s lack of possession and the hostile nature of the informant affect the grant of anticipatory bail.
  • Whether provisional anticipatory bail can be conditioned on verification of the petitioner’s criminal antecedents.

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • provisional bail
  • Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act
  • criminal antecedent
  • section 30
  • section 41
  • bail conditions

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.1073 of 2026
                    Arising Out of PS. Case No.-390 Year-2025 Thana- MOTIPUR District- Muzaffarpur
                 ======================================================
                 Buban Sahni @ Baban Son of Manraj Sahani @ Manraj Sahni Resident of
                 Village- Rasulaganj, P.S.- Motipur, District- Muzaffarpur

                                                                                  ... ... Petitioner/s
                                                       Versus
                 The State of Bihar

                                                        ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :       Mr. Manoj Kumar, Advocate
                 For the Opposite Party/s :       Mr. Sanjay Kumar Pandey, APP
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

2   20-01-2026                  Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned

                   APP for the State.

                                2. Petitioner apprehends his arrest in a case registered

                   for the offences punishable under Sections 30(a) and 41(1) of

                   Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act.

                                3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that

                   petitioner has antecedent of one case and allegation is of

                   recovery of 100 litres of liquor from a place near bank of

                   Gandak river. It is next submitted that petitioner was not

                   arrested from the spot, as such, nothing was recovered from his

                   conscious possession and even alleged recovery is from a place

                   which does not belong to the petitioner and is accessible to

                   villagers at large and he came to be implicated at the instance of

                   Chowkidar with whom he is on an inimical term. It is also
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.1073 of 2026(2) dt.20-01-2026
                                            2/3




          submitted that if Chowkidar was aware of the involvement of

          the petitioner in the occurrence then why he did not inform the

          police prior to institution of the instant FIR, which casts an

          aspersion on the case of the prosecution.

                       4. Learned A.P.P. opposes the anticipatory bail

          application.

                       5. Considering the submissions made by the learned

          counsel for the petitioner, the petitioner, above-named, in the

          event of his arrest or surrender before the learned Court below

          within a period of six weeks, is directed to be released on

          provisional anticipatory bail on his furnishing bail-bond in the

          sum of Rs.5,000/- (Rupees Five Thousnd) with two sureties of

          the like amount each to the satisfaction of learned Exclusive

          Special Judge Excise-II, Muzaffarpur in connection with

          Motipur P.S. Case No.390 of 2025, subject to the conditions laid

          down under Section 482(2) of the B.N.S.S.

                       6. The application stands allowed.

                       7. It is made clear that the learned trial Court after

          accepting the provisional bail bond of the petitioner shall verify

          the criminal antecedent of the petitioner and in the event, if it is

          found that petitioner has antecedent of more than one case, then

          it would be presumed that petitioner for the purposes of
               Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.1073 of 2026(2) dt.20-01-2026
                                                           3/3




                         obtaining anticipatory bail had concealed his antecedent before

                         this Court, in that event, the present provisional anticipatory bail

                         order shall not be confirmed, but if on verification, it is found

                         that petitioner has antecedent of only one case, in that event, the

                         provisional anticipatory bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.


                                                   (Satyavrat Verma, J)

Sanjay/-

U          T


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