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Patna High Court

Rajnath Singh @ Rajnath RaiversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

The Court ordered provisional anticipatory bail with conditions, pending verification of the petitioner’s criminal antecedent.

Summary

Petitioner Rajnath Singh applied for anticipatory bail after a FIR was lodged under Sections 30(a) and 30(c) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022, alleging recovery of 200 litres of liquor and 20,000 litres of raw Jawa from a public area. The petitioner argued that he was not arrested, had no possession of the seized material, and was implicated by a hostile chawkidar who failed to inform police earlier. The State opposed the bail, contending the seriousness of the offences. The Court, after considering the submissions, granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to a bail bond of Rs.5,000 with two sureties and conditions under Section 438(2) of the Cr.P.C. and Section 482(2) of the B.N.S.S., directing the trial court to verify the petitioner’s criminal antecedent before confirming the bail. If more than one antecedent is found, the bail will not be confirmed; if only one, it will be confirmed forthwith.

Issues considered

  • Whether anticipatory bail should be granted to the petitioner under Section 438 of the Criminal Procedure Code in view of the alleged offences under the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022.
  • Whether the petitioner’s alleged lack of possession and the circumstances of the FIR warrant the grant of bail.
  • Whether the petitioner’s criminal antecedent, if more than one case, should affect the confirmation of anticipatory bail.

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • Section 438 CrPC
  • prohibition law
  • liquor seizure
  • criminal antecedent
  • Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act
  • false implication

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.33680 of 2026
                    Arising Out of PS. Case No.-48 Year-2026 Thana- GANGABRIDGE District- Vaishali
                 ======================================================
                 Rajnath Singh @ Rajnath Rai Son of Late Shankar Singh @ Sankar Rai
                 Resident of Village - Diwantok, P.S.- Ganga Bridge, District- Vaishali
                                                                              ... ... Petitioner/s
                                                     Versus
                 The State of Bihar
                                                                       ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :       Mr. Kahkashan Alam, Advocate
                 For the Opposite Party/s :       Mr. Tarkeshwar Nath Thakur, A.P.P.
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

2   15-05-2026                  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 Sections 30(a) and

                   30(c) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act,

                   2022.

                                3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that

                   petitioner has antecedent of one case and allegation is of

                   recovery of 200 litres of liquor from a Diyara area along with

                   20,000 litres of raw Jawa which was destroyed at the spot.

                                4. 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 alleged

                   recovery is from a place which does not belong to the petitioner

                   and is accessible to villagers at large. It is further submitted that
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.33680 of 2026(2) dt.15-05-2026
                                            2/3




          petitioner came to be implicated at the instance of the

          Chawkidar with whom he is on an inimical term. It is next

          submitted that if the Chawkidar was aware of the involvement

          of the petitioner in the occurrence then why he did not inform

          the police prior to the institution of the instant FIR which casts

          an aspersion on the case of the prosecution.

                       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 appearing on behalf of the petitioner, let the petitioner,

          above-named, in the event of his arrest or surrender within a

          period of six weeks from today, be released on provisional

          anticipatory bail on furnishing bail bonds of Rs.5,000/- (Rupees

          Five 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 Ganga Bridge P.S.

          Case No. 48 of 2026, subject to the conditions as laid down

          under Section 438(2) of the Cr.P.C./482(2) of the B.N.S.S.

                       7. However, it is made clear that thereafter the learned

          Trial Court shall verify the criminal antecedent of the petitioner

          and if it is found that petitioner has antecedent of more than one

          case, it would be presumed that petitioner had concealed his
           Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.33680 of 2026(2) dt.15-05-2026
                                                       3/3




                     antecedent before this Court at para 3 of the anticipatory bail

                     application in that event the provisional anticipatory bail order

                     shall not be confirmed but if it is found on verification that

                     petitioner has antecedent of only one case in that event the

                     provisional anticipatory bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.


                                                                          (Satyavrat Verma, J)

Kundan/-

U     T


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