Created by Fuzzy Cloud

Patna High Court

SURAJ MANDAL @ SURAJ KUMAR @ SURAJversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

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

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
                                            2/3




          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
                                                           3/3




                         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


Continue reading with your account

Sign in to read the full judgment. It’s free.

Sign in to read

Checking your session…

Lawyer court records for this case

Associated through the court’s case reference.

For a signed copy suitable for filing, refer to the court's website.