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Patna High Court

Bhola Sah @ Sujeet KumarversusThe State of Bihar

Decided
Disposal
DISPOSED

Holding

The Court granted provisional anticipatory bail to the petitioner, subject to verification of his antecedents and compliance with the conditions imposed.

Summary

The petitioner, Bhola Sah, was implicated in a case under Sections 30(a) and 41(1) of the Bihar Excise Act for allegedly possessing 53.46 litres of liquor recovered from a location adjacent to his house. He argued that the liquor was not in his conscious possession, that the site did not belong to him, and that the informant (the chowkidar) failed to alert police earlier, casting doubt on the prosecution’s case. The State opposed his request for anticipatory bail. The High Court, after considering the petitioner's clean antecedent and the circumstances of the alleged recovery, granted provisional anticipatory bail subject to a bail bond of Rs. 500 with two sureties and directed the trial court to verify his criminal record. If any antecedent is discovered, the bail would be cancelled; otherwise, it would be confirmed. The order was made under Section 482(2) of the BNSS.

Issues considered

  • Whether the petitioner is entitled to anticipatory bail under Section 482(2) of the BNSS in a case under Sections 30(a) and 41(1) of the Bihar Excise Act
  • Whether the alleged recovery of liquor constitutes sufficient grounds for arrest and denial of bail

Legislation cited

Subjects

  • anticipatory bail
  • Bihar Excise Act
  • Section 482
  • clean antecedent
  • provisional bail
  • criminal procedure

Judgment

                      IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
                              CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.9483 of 2026
                    Arising Out of PS. Case No.-435 Year-2025 Thana- MOTIPUR District- Muzaffarpur
                 ======================================================
                 Bhola Sah @ Sujeet Kumar son of Arun Sah Resident of village- Mahna @
                 Sandha, Jahangirpur, Ps- Motipur Dist- Muzaffarpur

                                                                                  ... ... Petitioner/s
                                                       Versus
                 The State of Bihar

                                                        ... ... Opposite Party/s
                 ======================================================
                 Appearance :
                 For the Petitioner/s     :       Mr.Arvind Kumar
                 For the Opposite Party/s :       Ms.Asha Devi
                 ======================================================
                 CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA
                                       ORAL ORDER

2   23-02-2026               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

                   41(1) of the Bihar Excise Act.

                             3.    Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the

                   petitioner is a person with clean antecedent and allegation is of

                   recovery of 53.46 litres of liquor from a place behind the house

                   of the petitioner.

                             4.    Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the

                   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

                   but then is adjacent to his house and he came to be implicated at
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.9483 of 2026(2) dt.23-02-2026
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          the instance of Chowkidar but then it is submitted that if the

          Chowkidar was aware about 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.

                   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 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. 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 Motipur P.S. Case No. 435 of 2025, subject to

          the conditions as laid down under Section 482(2) of the BNSS.

                   7.     It is made clear that thereafter the learned Trial Court

          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

          seeking anticipatory bail, had concealed his antecedent before this

          Court, as such, the provisional anticipatory bail order shall not be

          confirmed, but after verification if it is found that petitioner is a
              Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.9483 of 2026(2) dt.23-02-2026
                                                          3/3




                        person with clean antecedent in that event the provisional

                        anticipatory bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.



                                                  (Satyavrat Verma, J)
Sumit/-

U         T


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