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Patna High Court

Dilip Sada @ Dileep SadaversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

Provisional anticipatory bail is granted subject to bond, sureties and verification of the petitioner’s criminal antecedent.

Summary

The petitioner, Dilip Sada, sought anticipatory bail fearing arrest in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act for alleged recovery of 3.5 litres of liquor from his joint family house. He argued that the liquor was not in his conscious possession, the house is jointly owned, and that the 2018 amendment to the Excise Act abolished the concepts of deemed possession and presumed offender. The State opposed the bail. The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail on condition of furnishing a Rs.5,000 bond with two sureties and directed the trial court to verify the petitioner’s criminal antecedent. If more than one prior case is found, the bail will not be confirmed; if only one prior case, the provisional bail will be confirmed.

Issues considered

  • Whether the petitioner is entitled to anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the CrPC in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act.
  • Whether the amendment removing deemed possession and presumed offender affects the bail application.

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • excise law
  • possession
  • joint family property
  • Section 30
  • Bihar Excise Act
  • Section 482
  • Criminal Procedure

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.18681 of 2026
                      Arising Out of PS. Case No.-518 Year-2025 Thana- BIRAUL District- Darbhanga
                 ======================================================
                 Dilip Sada @ Dileep Sada Son of Soman Sada R/o Rajmani Boran Tola, P.S.-
                 Biraul, District- Darbhanga,State- Bihar.

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

                                                        ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :       Mr.Kanchan Jha
                 For the Opposite Party/s :       Mr.Ramesh Chandra
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

2   25-03-2026               1.    Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and

                   learned A.P.P. for the State.

                             2.    The petitioner apprehends his arrest in a case

                   registered for the offences punishable under Section 30(a) of the

                   Bihar Excise Act.

                             3.    Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the

                   petitioner has antecedent of one case under the Excise Act as

                   pleaded in the supplementary affidavit filed on 18-3-2026 and

                   allegation is of recovery of 3.5 litres of liquor from the house of

                   the petitioner.

                             4.    Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the

                   petitioner was not arrested from the spot as such nothing was

                   recovered from his conscious possession and the house in

                   question is a joint family property as such it cannot be alleged
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.18681 of 2026(2) dt.25-03-2026
                                            2/3




          with certainty that it was petitioner who had kept the liquor in

          the house or the liquor kept in the house was within knowledge

          of the petitioner. It is next submitted that after amendment in

          the Excise Act in the year 2018, the concept of deemed

          possession and presumed offender has been done away with. It

          is also submitted that petitioner is having strained relationship

          with his wife, as such he came to be implicated on her behalf.

                   5.     Learned A.P.P. for the State opposes the prayer for

          anticipatory bail of the petitioner.

                   6.     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 trial court

          within a period of six weeks from today, be released on

          Provisional anticipatory bail on furnishing bail bonds of Rs.

          5,000/- (Rupees Five Thousand) with two sureties of the like

          amount each to the satisfaction of the learned trial court where

          the case is pending/successor court in connection with Biraul

          P.S. Case No. 518 of 2025, subject to the conditions as laid

          down under Section 482(2) of the BNSS.

                   7.     It is made clear that thereafter the learned Trial

          Court shall verify the criminal antecedent of the petitioner and

          in the event if it is found that petitioner has antecedent of more
              Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.18681 of 2026(2) dt.25-03-2026
                                                          3/3




                        than one case then it would be presumed that petitioner, for the

                        purposes of seeking anticipatory bail, had concealed his

                        antecedent before this Court, as such, the provisional

                        anticipatory bail order shall not be confirmed, but after

                        verification if it is found that petitioner has antecedent of one

                        case in that event the provisional anticipatory bail order shall be

                        confirmed forthwith.



                                                  (Satyavrat Verma, J)
Sumit/-

U         T


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