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Patna High Court

Rajiv KumarversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

The Court allowed the anticipatory bail application, granting provisional bail subject to conditions and verification of antecedent.

Summary

The petitioner, Rajiv 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 possession of 9.75 litres of liquor. He argued that he has a clean antecedent, the liquor was recovered from a joint family house and not from his conscious possession, and that the amendment to the Excise Act has abolished the concepts of deemed possession and presumed offender. The State opposed the bail, contending that the allegations warranted arrest. 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 antecedent and compliance with Section 438(2) conditions. The order stipulated that if any antecedent is discovered, the bail would not be confirmed, otherwise it would be confirmed forthwith.

Issues considered

  • Whether anticipatory bail can be granted under Section 438 CrPC for an offence under Section 30(a) of the Excise Act.
  • Whether the amendment to the Excise Act eliminating deemed possession and presumed offender affects the bail application.
  • Whether the petitioner’s clean antecedent is a requisite condition for granting anticipatory bail.

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • Section 438 CrPC
  • Excise Act
  • deemed possession
  • clean antecedent
  • provisional bail

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.31781 of 2026
                       Arising Out of PS. Case No.-113 Year-2026 Thana- BELAGANJ District- Gaya
                 ======================================================
                 Rajiv Kumar S/o Vinod Singh @ Karu Singh R/o Vill. - Beladih, P.S. -
                 Belaganj, Dist. - Gaya Ji.

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

                                                        ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :       Mr.Priya Ranjan
                 For the Opposite Party/s :       Mr/s.Renuka Ratnakar (App 125)
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

2   12-05-2026                   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 9.750 litres of liquor from 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 the house in

                   question is a joint family property and thus, it cannot be alleged

                   with certainty that it was the petitioner, who had kept the liquor
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.31781 of 2026(2) dt.12-05-2026
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          in the house or the liquor kept in the house was within his

          knowledge and after Amendment in the Excise Act, 2018, the

          concept of deemed possession and presumed offender has been

          done away with and he came to be implicated based on secret

          information, which is the easiest way to implicate someone

          without holding a proper investigation, when admittedly

          petitioner is a person with clean antecedent.

                       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

          Belaganj P. S. Case No.113 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
               Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.31781 of 2026(2) dt.12-05-2026
                                                           3/3




                         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 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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