Patna High Court
Jhuna Mushhar @ Jhannu MushharversusThe State of Bihar
- Decided
- Disposal
- DISPOSED
- Bench
- SATYAVRAT VERMA
Holding
The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to verification of the petitioner’s antecedents and compliance with the stipulated conditions.
Summary
The petitioner, Jhuna Mushhar, sought anticipatory bail fearing arrest in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act for alleged recovery of 21 litres of liquor from his joint family house. He argued that the liquor was not in his conscious possession, the house is jointly owned, and the allegation of possession is uncertain, especially after the 2018 amendment that abolished the concept of deemed possession. The petitioner also highlighted a prior excise case and alleged that the complainant, a chowkidar with whom he has a hostile relationship, delayed informing police, casting doubt on the prosecution's case. The State opposed the bail. The High Court, invoking Section 482(2) of the B.N.S.S., granted provisional anticipatory bail conditioned on a bail bond and two sureties, and directed the trial court to verify the petitioner’s criminal antecedents, with confirmation of bail contingent on the findings.
Issues considered
- Whether the petitioner is entitled to anticipatory bail under Section 482(2) of the B.N.S.S. in a case under Section 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act
- Whether the alleged possession of liquor can be established given the joint family ownership and lack of conscious possession
Legislation cited
- Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act — s. 30(a)
- B.N.S.S. — s. 482(2)
Subjects
- anticipatory bail
- provisional bail
- possession
- joint family property
- criminal antecedent
- Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act
Judgment
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.39500 of 2026
Arising Out of PS. Case No.-198 Year-2025 Thana- ITARHI District- Buxar
======================================================
Jhuna Mushhar @ Jhannu Mushhar S/O Vakil Mushhar R/O Village- Harpur,
P.S.- Itarhi, Distt.- Buxar.
... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar
... ... Opposite Party/s
======================================================
Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s : Mr. Ravi Shankar Pathak
For the Opposite Party/s : Mr. Madan Kumar
======================================================
CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
ORAL ORDER
2 22-06-2026 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
Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act.
3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that
petitioner has antecedent of one case under the Excise Act and
allegation is of recovery of 21 litres of liquor from house of the
petitioner. It is next submitted that petitioner was not arrested
from the spot as such nothing was recovered from his conscious
possession and the house in question is a joint family property
as such it cannot be alleged with certainty that it was petitioner,
who had kept the liquor in the house or the liquor kept in the
house was within his knowledge and after amendment in the
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.39500 of 2026(2) dt.22-06-2026
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Excise Act in the year 2018, the concept of deemed possession
and presumed offender has been done away with and he came to
be implicated at the instance of chowkidar with whom he is on
an inimical term. It is also submitted that if chowkidar was
aware of the involvement of the petitioner in the occurrence
then why he did not inform the police prior to institution of the
instant FIR which casts an aspersion on the case of the
prosecution.
4. Learned A.P.P. for the State opposes the prayer for
anticipatory bail of the petitioner.
5. Considering the submissions made by the learned
counsel for the petitioner, 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.5000/- (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 Itarhi P.S. Case No.198/2025, subject to the
conditions as laid down under Section 482(2) of the B.N.S.S.
6. It is made clear that the learned trial court thereafter
shall verify the criminal antecedents of the petitioner and in the
event if it is found that petitioner has antecedent of more than
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one case, in that event, it would be presumed that petitioner had
concealed his antecedent before this court, as such, the
provisional anticipatory bail order shall not be confirmed but if
on verification it is found that petitioner has antecedent of one
case, in that event the provisional anticipatory bail order shall be
confirmed forthwith.
(Satyavrat Verma, J)
amit/-
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