Patna High Court
Rajesh BaskiversusThe State of Bihar
- Decided
- Disposal
- DISPOSED
- Bench
- SATYAVRAT VERMA
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
- Bihar Excise Act — s. 30(a)
- BNSS — s. 482(2)
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
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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
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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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