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Patna High Court

Premchand Paswan @ Ranjan KumarversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

The Court provisionally granted anticipatory bail to the petitioner, subject to bail bonds, sureties, and verification of his criminal antecedent.

Summary

The petitioner, Premchand Paswan, sought anticipatory bail fearing arrest in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022, alleging recovery of 17 litres of liquor from a location not in his possession. He argued that he was implicated mechanically by police without proper investigation and that the alleged liquor was accessible to villagers. The State opposed the bail. The Court, after considering the submissions, granted provisional anticipatory bail conditioned on a bail bond of Rs.20,000 with two sureties, subject to verification of the petitioner’s criminal antecedent within six weeks. If more than four prior cases are found, the bail will not be confirmed; if only four are found, it will be confirmed. The order is made under Section 438(2) of the Cr.P.C. and Section 482(2) of the Bihar Narcotic and Substance (B.N.S.S.) Act.

Issues considered

  • Whether the petitioner is entitled to anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the Criminal Procedure Code in a case under the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022
  • Whether the petitioner’s criminal antecedent warrants denial of anticipatory bail

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • excise law
  • Section 30(a) Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act 2022
  • criminal antecedent
  • provisional bail

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.36443 of 2026
                     Arising Out of PS. Case No.-270 Year-2026 Thana- GAYA MUFASIL District- Gaya
                 ======================================================
                 Premchand Paswan @ Ranjan Kumar S/o M. P. Paswan @ Ramswarup
                 Paswan R/o Village - Bhadeja, PS - Mufassil, District - Gaya
                                                                                ... ... Petitioner/s
                                                    Versus
                 The State of Bihar
                                                                         ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :       Mr. Sudhir Kumar Sinha, Advocate
                 For the Opposite Party/s :       Mr. Arun Kumar Pandey, A.P.P.
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

2   29-06-2026                  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 offence punishable under Section 30(a) of the

                   Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Act, 2022.

                                3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that

                   petitioner has antecedent of four cases under the Excise Act and

                   allegation is of recovery of 17 litres of liquor from a place near

                   Nimhar Aahar.

                                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 next submitted that

                   petitioner came to be implicated at the instance of the local
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.36443 of 2026(2) dt.29-06-2026
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          person but then it is submitted that once an accused is

          implicated in a case relating to excise the police start

          implicating mechanically either at the instance of the

          Chawkidar, local person, confessional statement or secret

          information without holding a proper investigation of the case.

                       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.20,000/-

          (Rupees Twenty 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 Mufassil P.S.

          Case No. 270 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 four

          cases, it would be presumed that petitioner had concealed his

          antecedent before this Court at para 3 of the anticipatory bail
           Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.36443 of 2026(2) dt.29-06-2026
                                                       3/3




                     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 four cases in that event the

                     provisional anticipatory bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.


                                                                          (Satyavrat Verma, J)

Kundan/-

U     T


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