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Patna High Court

Pramod KumarversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

The Court allowed the anticipatory bail application, subject to conditions and verification of the petitioner’s antecedent.

Summary

The petitioner, Pramod Kumar, applied for anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the Criminal Procedure Code in connection with a case registered under Section 30(a) of the Excise Act for alleged recovery of 8.25 litres of liquor from a location adjacent to his house. The petitioner claimed a clean antecedent and argued that the alleged recovery was not from his possession and that the complaint was motivated by an inimical relationship with a watchman. The State opposed the anticipatory bail. The Court, after considering the submissions, directed that the petitioner be released on provisional anticipatory bail upon furnishing bail bonds of Rs.500 with two sureties, subject to verification of his criminal antecedent. If any antecedent is found, the bail would not be confirmed; otherwise, the provisional order would be confirmed. The application was allowed.

Issues considered

  • Whether anticipatory bail should be granted under Section 438 CrPC in a case under Section 30(a) of the Excise Act
  • Whether the petitioner has a clean criminal antecedent warranting bail
  • Whether the alleged recovery of liquor constitutes a cognizable offence justifying denial of bail

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • Section 438 CrPC
  • Excise Act
  • clean antecedent
  • bail conditions
  • criminal procedure

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.30955 of 2026
                        Arising Out of PS. Case No.-88 Year-2026 Thana- DESARI District- Vaishali
                 ======================================================
                 Pramod Kumar S/o Harendra Ray @ Harendra Rai R/o Village- Ward No.11,
                 Kharagpur, Bhatuli @ Bhataulia, P.S- Desari (Chandpura), Dist- Vaishali at
                 Hajipur.

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

                                                        ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :        Mr.Ashok Kumar
                 For the Opposite Party/s :        Mr.Abhay Kumar
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

2   07-05-2026                  1. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and

                   learned APP for the State.

                                2. The petitioner seeks bail in anticipation of his

                   arrest in a case registered for the offences punishable under

                   Section 30(a) of the Excise Act.

                                3. The learned counsel for the petitioner submits that

                   the petitioner is a person with clean antecedent and allegation is

                   of recovery of 8.25 litres of liquor from a place behind the

                   house of the petitioner.

                                4. The learned counsel for the petitioner submits that

                   petitioner was not arrested from the spot, as such, nothing was

                   recovered from his conscious possession and even alleged

                   recovery is from a place, which does not belong to the petitioner
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.30955 of 2026(2) dt.07-05-2026
                                            2/3




          but then is adjacent to his house and he came to be implicated at

          the instance of Chaukidar with whom he is on an inimical term.

          It is further submitted that if Chaukidar was aware of the

          involvement of the petitioner in the occurrence, then why he did

          not inform the police prior to institution of the present F.I.R.,

          which casts an aspersion on the case of the prosecution.

                       5. Learned A.P.P. opposes the anticipatory bail

          application.

                       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 Court below

          within a period of six weeks, is directed to be released on

          provisional anticipatory bail on his furnishing bail-bonds in the

          sum 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

          Desari (Chandpura) P. S. Case No.88 of 2026, subject to the

          conditions laid down under Section 438(2) of the Cr.P.C.

                       7. The application stands allowed.

                       8. It is made clear that the learned trial Court after

          accepting the provisional bail bonds of the petitioner shall verify

          the criminal antecedent of the petitioner and in the event, if it is
               Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.30955 of 2026(2) dt.07-05-2026
                                                           3/3




                         found that petitioner has antecedent of even one case, then it

                         would be presumed that petitioner for the purposes of obtaining

                         anticipatory bail had concealed his antecedent before this Court,

                         in that event, the present provisional anticipatory bail order shall

                         not be confirmed, but if on verification, 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)
vikash/-

U          T


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