Patna High Court
Jai Prakash Paswan @ J. PversusThe State of Bihar
- Decided
- Disposal
- DISPOSED
- Bench
- SATYAVRAT VERMA
Holding
The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail to the petitioner, subject to verification of his antecedent and compliance with the conditions imposed under Section 482(2) of the CrPC.
Summary
The petitioner, Jai Prakash Paswan, was implicated in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act for allegedly recovering 10 litres of liquor from a bush behind his house. He was not arrested at the scene and the liquor was not found in his possession; the alleged location does not belong to him but is adjacent to his property. The petitioner, who has a clean antecedent, sought anticipatory bail, arguing that the complaint was filed on the basis of a hostile watchman's information and that the watchman did not inform police earlier. The State opposed the bail. The High Court, after considering the submissions, granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to a bail bond of Rs. 500 with two sureties and directed verification of the petitioner’s antecedent, with confirmation of bail if no prior case is found.
Issues considered
- What is the applicability of anticipatory bail under Section 482(2) of the CrPC in a case under the Bihar Excise Act?
- Whether the petitioner’s clean antecedent and lack of possession justify granting anticipatory bail?
Legislation cited
- Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 — s. 482(2)
Subjects
- anticipatory bail
- Bihar Excise Act
- Section 30
- Section 482
- clean antecedent
- possession
- criminal procedure
Judgment
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.20238 of 2026
Arising Out of PS. Case No.-385 Year-2024 Thana- SONEPUR District- Saran
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Jai Prakash Paswan @ J. P S/o Vidhur Paswan Resident of Village - Ganga
Jalj Paswan Tola, Police Station - Sonepur, District - Saran at Chapra
... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar
... ... Opposite Party/s
======================================================
Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s : Mr.Shakti Suman Kumar
For the Opposite Party/s : Mr.Syed Mojibur Rahman
======================================================
CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
ORAL ORDER
2 31-03-2026 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 is a person with clean antecedent and allegation is of
recovery of 10 litres of liquor from a bush behind 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 even the alleged
recovery is from a place which does not belong to the petitioner
but then is adjacent to his house and he came to be implicated at
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.20238 of 2026(2) dt.31-03-2026
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the instance of Chowkidar with whom he is on an inimical term.
It is next submitted that if Chowkidar was aware about 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, when
petitioner admittedly is a person with clean antecedent.
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 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 Sonpur P.S. Case No. 385 of 2024, 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 even 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
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.20238 of 2026(2) dt.31-03-2026
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confirmed, but after verification if it is found that petitioner is a
person with clean antecedent in that event the provisional
anticipatory bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.
(Satyavrat Verma, J)
Sumit/-
U T
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