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Patna High Court

Rajesh BaskiversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail to the petitioner, subject to verification of his antecedents and compliance with bail conditions.

Summary

Petitioner Rajesh Baski was implicated under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act for allegedly possessing 132 litres of liquor recovered from his house, which is a joint family property. He argued that he was not arrested, the liquor was not in his conscious possession, and the amendment to the Excise Act in 2018 abolished the concepts of deemed possession and presumed offender. The State opposed his request for anticipatory bail. The Court, considering the petitioner's clean antecedent and the lack of direct possession, granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to a bail bond of Rs. 500 with two sureties and directed verification of his criminal record. If any antecedent is found, the bail may be revoked; otherwise, it will be confirmed.

Issues considered

  • Whether anticipatory bail can be granted when the alleged offender does not have conscious possession of liquor under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act.
  • Whether the amendment removing deemed possession and presumed offender affects the applicability of anticipatory bail.

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • excise law
  • possession
  • joint family property
  • clean antecedent
  • Bihar Excise Act

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.23592 of 2026
                    Arising Out of PS. Case No.-169 Year-2025 Thana- GWALPARA District- Madhepura
                 ======================================================
                 Rajesh Baski S/o Late Dhana Baski R/o Village - Sahpur, Ward No. 6, P.S -
                 Santhali Tola, Gawalpada, District - Madhepura

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

                                                        ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :      Mr.Dinesh Prasad Verma
                 For the Opposite Party/s :      Mr.Humayou Ahmad Khan
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

4   22-06-2026               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 132 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

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

                   the house or the liquor kept in the house was within knowledge
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.23592 of 2026(4) dt.22-06-2026
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          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 and

          he came to be implicated at the instance of local people, but

          then it is submitted that it does not appear probable that local

          people would have known who had concealed the liquor in the

          house.

                   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 Gawalpara P.S. Case No. 169 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 even one case

          then it would be presumed that petitioner, for the purposes of

          seeking anticipatory bail, had concealed his antecedent before this
              Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.23592 of 2026(4) dt.22-06-2026
                                                          3/3




                        Court, as such, the provisional anticipatory bail order shall not be

                        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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