Santosh Mahto v. The State Of Bihar

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA

CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.17476 of 2026 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-174 Year-2025 Thana- Mufassil District- Khagaria ====================================================== Santosh Mahto S/O Parash Mahto R/o Vill.- Pokhri Jote, Siliguri,P.OChampasari, P.s- Pradhannagar, Dist- Darjiling, State- West Bengal, Pini734003 ... ... Petitioner/s

Versus

The state of bihar ... ... Opposite Party/s ====================================================== Appearance :

For the Petitioner/s :

Mr. Arvind Kumar For the Opposite Party/s :

Mr. Shailendra Kumar Singh ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA ORAL ORDER 19-03-2026

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 281 BNS & Section 30(a) of Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2018.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that petitioner is a person with clean antecedent and allegation is of recovery of 504 litres of liquor from a Tata vehicle. It is next submitted that petitioner was not arrested from the spot as such nothing was recovered from his conscious possession and he came to be implicated based on the fact that he is owner of the seized vehicle. It is next submitted that no prudent person would use his own vehicle for committing an occurrence and thus

Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.17476 of 2026(2) dt.19-03-2026 2/3 would create evidence against himself and hence would get implicated. It is also submitted that the petitioner was completely unaware that his driver would misuse his vehicle in the manner as alleged who also fled from the spot. It is next submitted that petitioner has been falsely implicated in the instant case with an allegation that he is owner-cum-driver of the vehicle.

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.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 Muffasil P.S. Case No.174/2025, 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 even one case, in that event, it would be presumed that petitioner had

Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.17476 of 2026(2) dt.19-03-2026 3/3 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 is a person with clean antecedent, in that event the provisional anticipatory bail order shall be confirmed forthwith.

(Satyavrat Verma, J) amit/- U T