Archana Devi @ Ram Dulari Devi v. The State Of Bihar
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.16223 of 2026 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-190 Year-2025 Thana- BOCHAHAN District- Muzaffarpur ====================================================== 1.
Archana Devi @ Ram Dulari Devi wife of Jeetu Paswan Resident of Village -Salha, Ward No 13, PS -Bochahan, Distt -Muzaffarpur 2.
Puja Devi @ Puja Kumari Wife of Manjeet Paswan Resident of Village -Salha, Ward No 13, PS -Bochahan, Distt -Muzaffarpur ... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar ... ... Opposite Party/s ====================================================== Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s :
Mr.Pradeep Kumar Sinha, Advocate For the Opposite Party/s :
Mr.Shailendra Kumar, APP ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE ARUN KUMAR JHA ORAL ORDER 06-04-2026 Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and learned APP for the State.
2. In the present case, the petitioners are apprehending their arrest in connection with Bochahan (Muzaffarpur) P.S. Case No. 190 of 2025 registered for the offences under Sections 80 and 3(5) of B.N.S.
3. As per prosecution case, the petitioners and other co-accused persons tortured the daughter of the informant for demand of dowry as the daughter of the informant was married with co-accused Sanjeet Paswan. On non-fulfillment of the demand, the daughter of the informant was variously tortured by the petitioners and other co-accused persons.
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.16223 of 2026(2) dt.06-04-2026 2/3 Ultimately, just after one year of the marriage, the daughter of the informant was killed in her matrimonial home.
4. Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the petitioners are innocent and have falsely been implicated in this case. The petitioners are sisters-in-law (Gotni) of the deceased and the Mukhiya of the concerned village has given a certificate that they are living separately along with their husband from the husband of the deceased for last three years and they have no connection with the deceased and her husband. Nothing has come on record that any complaint was earlier made regarding the demand of dowry by the petitioners and other co-accused persons. The co-accused husbands/ brothersin-law of the deceased have been granted anticipatory bail by learned Co-ordinate Bench vide order dated 04.02.2026 passed in Cr. Misc. No. 6378 of 2026. The petitioners are having clean antecedent.
5. Learned APP opposes the submission made on behalf of the petitioners.
6. Having regard to the facts and circumstances and submissions made on behalf of the parties and considering the relationship of the petitioners with the deceased and further considering the general and non-specific nature of allegation
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.16223 of 2026(2) dt.06-04-2026 3/3 and grant of anticipatory bail to the co-accused husband of the petitioners and further considering the possibility of false implication, let the petitioners above named, in the event of their arrest or surrender before the court concerned within a period of eight weeks from today, be released on bail, on furnishing bail bonds of Rs.10,000/- (Rupees Ten Thousand Only) each with two sureties of the like amount each to the satisfaction of learned A.C.J.M. 9th, (East), Muzaffarpur/concerned court in connection with Bochahan (Muzaffarpur) P.S. Case No. 190 of 2025, subject to the condition as laid down under Section 482(2) of the B.N.S.S. and other following conditions : (i) One of the bailors will be a close relative of the petitioners.
(ii) The petitioners will remain present on each and every date fixed by the court below, if so required by the learned trial court.
(Arun Kumar Jha, J) DKS/- U T