Patna High Court
SURAJ MANDAL @ SURAJ KUMAR @ SURAJversusThe State of Bihar
- Decided
- Disposal
- DISPOSED
- Bench
- SATYAVRAT VERMA
Holding
The Court allowed the anticipatory bail application, granting provisional bail subject to verification of the petitioner’s antecedent.
Summary
Suraj Mandal applied for anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the Cr.P.C. after a case was registered against him for alleged offences under Sections 30(a), 30(c) and 30(e) of the Excise Act, relating to the recovery of 125 litres of liquor from his joint family house. The petitioner argued that he has a clean antecedent, was not arrested at the spot, and that the liquor was not in his conscious possession, contending that the amendment to the Excise Act had abolished the concepts of deemed possession and presumed offender. The State opposed the bail. The Court, after considering the submissions, granted provisional anticipatory bail on the condition that the petitioner furnish bail bonds of Rs.500 with two sureties and that the trial court verify his criminal antecedent, cancelling the bail if any prior case is found. The order was made subject to the conditions of Section 438(2) Cr.P.C.
Issues considered
- Whether anticipatory bail should be granted in a case of alleged possession of liquor under the Excise Act.
- Effect of the amendment to the Excise Act on the doctrine of deemed possession and presumed offender.
- Whether the fact that the liquor was found in a joint family house negates attribution of possession to the petitioner.
- What conditions are appropriate for granting provisional anticipatory bail.
Legislation cited
- Criminal Procedure Code — s. 438(2)
- Excise Act — s. 30(a), 30(c), 30(e)
Subjects
- anticipatory bail
- Excise Act
- Section 438 Cr.P.C.
- deemed possession
- joint family property
- bail conditions
- criminal antecedent
Judgment
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.31830 of 2026
Arising Out of PS. Case No.-83 Year-2026 Thana- KURSAILA District- Katihar
======================================================
Suraj Mandal @ Suraj Kumar @ Suraj S/O- Kiro Mandal Village- Bhadaiya
Tola, Ward No. 04, P.S.- Kursela, District- Katihar.
... ... Petitioner/S
Versus
The State Of Bihar
... ... Opposite Party/s
======================================================
Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s : Mr.Diwakar Upadhyaya
For the Opposite Party/s : Mr.Md. Shakir Ahmad
======================================================
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
Sections 30(a), 30(c) and 30(e) 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 125 litres of liquor from 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
in the house or the liquor kept in the house was within his
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.31830 of 2026(2) dt.12-05-2026
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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 at the instance of
Chaukidar with whom he is on an inimical term.
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
Kursela P. S. Case No.83 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
found that petitioner has antecedent of even one case, then it
would be presumed that petitioner for the purposes of obtaining
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.31830 of 2026(2) dt.12-05-2026
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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/-
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