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Patna High Court

Vikesh KumarversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail to the petitioner, subject to bond, sureties, and verification of his criminal antecedent.

Summary

Vikesh Kumar applied for anticipatory bail after being implicated in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2016 for allegedly possessing 33 litres of liquor recovered from a motorcycle. He asserted a clean criminal record, claimed he was not the vehicle's owner, and alleged that the chaukidar who implicated him had a personal enmity and failed to inform police earlier. The State opposed the bail. The Court, considering the submissions, granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to a Rs.500 bond, two sureties, and a condition that the trial court verify his antecedent within six weeks; if any prior case is found, the bail would not be confirmed. The petitioner also undertook to deposit Rs.1,500 with the Patna High Court Lawyers’ Association. The order was made under Section 438(2) of the Cr.P.C. and Section 482(2) of the BNSS.

Issues considered

  • Whether the petitioner is entitled to anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the Cr.P.C. in the alleged offence under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2016.
  • Whether the petitioner’s claim of clean antecedent and lack of ownership of the seized vehicle merit the grant of bail.
  • Whether the conditions imposed by the Court are appropriate for provisional anticipatory bail.

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • Section 30(a)
  • liquor seizure
  • clean antecedent
  • Bihar Prohibition Act
  • Cr.P.C. 438
  • BNSS 482

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.2010 of 2026
                  Arising Out of PS. Case No.-121 Year-2025 Thana- MAHUAWA District- East Champaran
                 ======================================================
                 Vikesh Kumar S/o- Late Rameshwar Rai R/O- Lakshman Nagar PS-Mahuawa
                 District- East Champaran
                                                                        ... ... Petitioner/s
                                                Versus
                 The State of Bihar
                                                                 ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :      Mr. Vishal Prasad, Advocate
                 For the Opposite Party/s :      Mr. Awadhesh Kumar Singh, A.P.P.
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

2   27-01-2026                  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 offence punishable under Section 30(a) of the

                   Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2016.

                                3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that

                   petitioner is a person with clean antecedent and allegation is of

                   recovery of 33 litres of liquor from a motorcycle.

                                4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that

                   petitioner was not arrested from the spot, as such, nothing was

                   recovered from his conscious possession. It is further submitted

                   that petitioner is not the owner of the seized vehicle and came to

                   be implicated at the instance of the Chawkidar with whom

                   petitioner is on an inimical term. It is next submitted that if the

                   Chawkidar was aware of the involvement of petitioner in the
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.2010 of 2026(2) dt.27-01-2026
                                            2/3




          occurrence then why he did not inform the police prior to the

          institution of the instant FIR which casts an aspersion on the

          case of the prosecution.

                       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, let 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.500/- (Rupees Five Hundred) 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 Mahuawa

          P.S. Case No. 121 of 2025, subject to the conditions as laid

          down under Section 438(2) of the Cr.P.C./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 if

          it is found that petitioner has antecedent of even one case, it

          would be presumed that petitioner had concealed his antecedent

          before this Court at para 3 of the anticipatory bail application in

          that event the provisional anticipatory bail order shall not be

          confirmed but if it is found on verification that petitioner is a
           Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.2010 of 2026(2) dt.27-01-2026
                                                       3/3




                     person with clean antecedent in that event the provisional

                     anticipatory bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.

                                  8. At this stage, learned counsel for the petitioner

                     based on instruction submits that petitioner undertakes to

                     deposit an amount of Rs.1,500/- with the Lawyers’ Association

                     of the Patna High Court.


                                                                         (Satyavrat Verma, J)

Kundan/-

U     T


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