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Patna High Court

Suraj Kumar @ Suraj RaiversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail to the petitioner subject to specified conditions and verification of his criminal antecedent.

Summary

Suraj Kumar, a resident of Daulatganj, applied for anticipatory bail after learning that he might be arrested in a case registered under Section 111 of the Bihar Narcotic Substances Act and Section 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022, concerning the alleged recovery of 43.2 litres of liquor from a motorcycle. He asserted that he has a clean criminal record, was not arrested at the spot, did not have conscious possession of the liquor, and was not the owner of the vehicle, claiming he was implicated by an unnamed local informant. The State opposed the bail. The Patna High Court, after considering the submissions, granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to a bail bond of Rs.500 with two sureties, compliance with conditions under Section 438(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code and Section 482(2) of the Bihar Narcotic Substances Act, and verification of his antecedent. The order stipulated that if any prior case is found, the bail could be cancelled; if his antecedent remains clean, the bail would be confirmed. Additionally, the petitioner undertook to deposit Rs.1,500 with the Lawyers’ Association of the Patna High Court.

Issues considered

  • Whether the petitioner is entitled to anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the Cr.P.C. in the pending case under the Bihar Narcotic Substances Act and the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act.

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • Section 438 Cr.P.C.
  • Section 482 BNSS
  • liquor seizure
  • clean antecedent
  • provisional bail
  • Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.2033 of 2026
                   Arising Out of PS. Case No.-617 Year-2025 Thana- BHAGWAN BAZAR District- Saran
                 ======================================================
                 Suraj Kumar @ Suraj Rai Son of Pradeep Ray @ Pradeep Kumar Resident of
                 Daulatganj, P.S.- Bhagwan Bazar, District- Saran
                                                                          ... ... Petitioner/s
                                                   Versus
                 The State of Bihar
                                                                   ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :      Mr. Aashish Kumar, Advocate
                 For the Opposite Party/s :      Mr. Aditya Narayan Singh.1, 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 111 of the

                   BNS as well as Section 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and

                   Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022.

                                3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that

                   petitioner is a person with clean antecedent and allegation is of

                   recovery of 43.2 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 local person but then the

                   name of the person who disclosed the name of the petitioner is
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.2033 of 2026(2) dt.27-01-2026
                                            2/3




          not disclosed in the 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, 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 Bhagwan

          Bazar P.S. Case No. 617 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
           Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.2033 of 2026(2) dt.27-01-2026
                                                       3/3




                     confirmed but if it is found on verification that petitioner is a

                     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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