Kunti Devi v. The State Of Bihar
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.16421 of 2026 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-215 Year-2025 Thana- RAGHOPUR District- Vaishali ====================================================== 1.
Kunti Devi W/o- Chandeshwar Ray Village- Mohanpur PS-Raghopur District- Vaishali 2.
Mithlesh Kumar S/o- Chandeshwar Ray Village- Mohanpur PS-Raghopur District- Vaishali 3.
Vinod Kumar @ Vinod Ray S/o- Chandeshwar Ray Village- Mohanpur PSRaghopur District- Vaishali 4.
Akhilesh Kumar @ Alkesh Ray S/o- Chandeshwar Ray Village- Mohanpur PS-Raghopur District- Vaishali ... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar ... ... Opposite Party/s ====================================================== Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s :
Mrs. Bela Singh, Advocate For the Opposite Party/s :
Mr. Anish Chandra, APP ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE DR. ANSHUMAN ORAL ORDER 17-06-2026 Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and learned APP for the State.
2. The petitioners are apprehending arrest in connection with Raghopur P.S. Case No. 215 of 2025, dated 05.08.2025, lodged under Sections 80 & 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (hereinafter referred to as "BNS, 2023") and Sections 3 & 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
3. As per the prosecution, FIR has been lodged against five accused persons, including the present petitioners, alleging that the death of the informant's daughter was caused at the instance of the accused persons.
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.16421 of 2026(4) dt.17-06-2026 2/3
4. Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the petitioners are innocent and have committed no offence. Counsel further submits that the entire allegation is false and fabricated. Counsel further submits that the case diary has been called for, and it transpires therefrom that the son of the deceased was ill and, owing to the condition of her son, she became frustrated and committed suicide. Counsel submits that the petitioners are the in-laws of the deceased. Counsel further submits that they are innocent and had tried their level best to save the deceased. They admitted the deceased to the hospital, where she died after five days of treatment. This aspect may be taken into consideration. Counsel further submits that the present case has been lodged against the petitioners with mala fide intention and ulterior motive.
Counsel submits that the criminal antecedents of the petitioners are clean, except for petitioner no. 4, against whom one criminal case is pending. Counsel also submits that petitioner no. 1 is a female aged about 71 years and it was petitioner no. 2 who had brought the deceased to the hospital.
5. Learned APP for the State, on the other hand, opposes the prayer for bail and submits that the case diary has been called for and paragraphs 26 and 27 of the case diary
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.16421 of 2026(4) dt.17-06-2026 3/3 contain material against the present petitioners. Counsel also submits that the husband of the deceased is mute and was not in a position to speak, however, through gestures and expressions, he disclosed that the family members were involved in the death of his wife.
6. Considering the old age of petitioner no. 1 and the fact that she is a woman, let petitioner no. 1, namely, Kunti Devi, be released on anticipatory bail, in the event of arrest or surrender before the Trial Court within a period of 4 weeks from today, on furnishing bail bond of Rs.30,000/- (Rupees Thirty Thousand) as mentioned in Section 2(1)(d) of the BNSS, 2023 to the satisfaction of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate-XV, Vaishali at Hajipur in connection with Raghopur P.S. Case No. 215 of 2025, subject to the conditions as laid down U/s 482(2) of the BNSS, 2023.
7. So far as the bail applications of petitioner nos. 2, 3 and 4, namely, Mithlesh Kumar, Vinod Kumar @ Vinod Ray, and Akhilesh Kumar @ Alkesh Ray, are concerned, their bail applications are hereby rejected.
(Dr. Anshuman, J.) Aman Kumar/- U T