Pawan Mandal @ Pawan Bharti v. The State Of Bihar

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA

CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.7041 of 2024 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-452 Year-2023 Thana- NAUGACHIA District- Bhagalpur ====================================================== Pawan Mandal @ Pawan Bharti S/O Manoj Mandal Village- Chansuri Tola, Ps. Chousa, Dist. Madhepura.

... ... Petitioner/s

Versus

The State of Bihar ... ... Opposite Party/s ====================================================== Appearance :

For the Petitioner/s :

Mr.Indeshwari Mandal, Advocate For the Opposite Party/s :

Mr.Shaheen Begum, APP ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE CHANDRA PRAKASH SINGH ORAL ORDER 17-02-2024 Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Additional Public Prosecutor for the State.

2. The Petitioner is apprehending his arrest in connection with Naugachiya P.S. Case No. 452/2023 dated 12.08.2023 for the offences punishable u/s 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act.

3. As per the prosecution case, total 194.630 litres of illicit Indian made foreign liquor was recovered from the hut and the motorcycle.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that the petitioner is innocent and has falsely been implicated in this case. The petitioner has no criminal antecedent as stated at para 3 of the bail petition. No incriminating article has been

Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.7041 of 2024(2) dt.17-02-2024 2/3 recovered from the conscious possession of the petitioner, hence no case is made out. The name of the petitioner has sprung up in the confessional statement. The petitioner is neither the owner of the hut nor the driver of the said motorcycle. Learned Counsel has relied on the judgment of Full Bench of Hon'ble Patna High Court in the case of Ram Vinay Yadav vs. State of Bihar reported in 2019 (2) PLJR 1089. The Full Bench in the case of Ram Vinay Yadav (supra) has held that an application for anticipatory bail in a case arising out of Bihar Excise and Prohibition Act can be maintained, despite the bar under Section 76 (2) of the Act, if on the basis of allegation made in the FIR, no offence under the said provision is made out.

5. Learned A.P.P. for the State has vehemently opposed the prayer for anticipatory bail of the petitioner by submitting that the bar of Section 76(2) of the Act applies in this case.

6. Considering the aforesaid facts and circumstances of the case as well as the nature of allegation against the petitioner, let the above named petitioner, in the event of his arrest/surrender within a period of six weeks from today, be enlarged on anticipatory bail on furnishing bail-bond of Rs. 20,000/- (Rupees twenty thousand) with two sureties of the like

Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.7041 of 2024(2) dt.17-02-2024 3/3 amount each to the satisfaction of the learned court concerned, Bhagalpur in connection with Naugachiya P.S. Case No. 452/2023, subject to conditions as laid down under section 438(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

7. This application stands allowed.

(Chandra Prakash Singh, J) atul/- U T