Patna High Court
Kunal Singh @ Udhari SinghversusThe State of Bihar
- Decided
- Disposal
- DISPOSED
- Bench
- SATYAVRAT VERMA
Holding
The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to bond, sureties, and verification of the petitioner’s antecedent, confirming bail only if antecedent does not exceed four cases.
Summary
The petitioner, Bhola Sah, was implicated in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act for allegedly possessing 10.335 litres of liquor in a thatched hut on his agricultural land. He argued that he was not arrested at the scene, no liquor was recovered from his conscious possession, and the case was based solely on secret information without proper investigation. The petitioner also highlighted his prior involvement in four excise cases, contending that such antecedents should not preclude anticipatory bail. The State opposed the grant of anticipatory bail. The High Court, applying Section 482(2) of the BNSS, granted provisional anticipatory bail conditioned on a bail bond of Rs. 20,000 and two sureties, directing the trial court to verify the petitioner’s criminal antecedent within six weeks, with the bail to be confirmed only if the antecedent does not exceed four cases.
Issues considered
- Whether anticipatory bail can be granted to the petitioner under Section 482(2) of the BNSS in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Excise Act.
- Whether the petitioner’s prior criminal antecedent of four excise cases bars the grant of anticipatory bail.
Legislation cited
- BNSS — s. 482(2)
Subjects
- anticipatory bail
- excise law
- Section 30
- secret information
- criminal antecedent
- bail bond
- Section 482
Judgment
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.28442 of 2026
Arising Out of PS. Case No.-57 Year-2026 Thana- BELSAND District- Sitamarhi
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Bhola Sah Son of Late Hari Chandra Sah @ Late Harish Chandra Shah
Resident of village - Pachnaur, P.S. - Belsand, Dist. - Sitamarhi
... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar
... ... Opposite Party/s
======================================================
Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s : Mr.Santosh Kumar
For the Opposite Party/s : Mr.Anuj Kumar Shrivastava
======================================================
CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
ORAL ORDER
2 29-04-2026 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 has antecedent of four cases under the Excise
Act and allegation is of recovery of 10.335 litres of liquor from
a thatched hut situated in the agricultural field 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 he came to be
implicated based on secret information which is the easiest way
to implicate someone without holding a proper investigation. It
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.28442 of 2026(2) dt.29-04-2026
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is next submitted that no prudent person would use his own land
for committing an occurrence and thus would create evidence
against himself and hence would get implicated. It is further
submitted that once an accused is implicated in a case relating to
excise, the police starts implicating mechanically either at the
instance of Chowkidar, local person, confessional statement or
secret information without holding a proper investigation. It is
also submitted that petitioner earlier also in similar manner
came to be implicated in cases relating to Excise.
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 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. 20,000/- (Rupees
Twenty Thousand) 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 Belsand P.S. Case No.
57 of 2026, 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
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.28442 of 2026(2) dt.29-04-2026
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event if it is found that petitioner has antecedent of more than four
cases 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
confirmed, but after verification if it is found that petitioner has
antecedent of four cases in that event the provisional anticipatory
bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.
(Satyavrat Verma, J)
Sumit/-
U T
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