Mintu Devi v. The State Of Bihar
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.25859 of 2026 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-101 Year-2026 Thana- DEEPNAGAR District- Nalanda ====================================================== Mintu Devi w/o Shankar Kewat Resident of Village- Takiyapar, P.S.- Deepnagar, District- Nalanda ... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar ... ... Opposite Party/s ====================================================== Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s :
Mr. Raj Kishor Prasad, Advocate For the Opposite Party/s :
Mr. Manoj Kumar, APP ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE RAJIV ROY ORAL ORDER 22-04-2026 Heard the parties.
2. The petitioner is apprehending her arrest in connection with Deepnagar P.S. Case No. 101 of 2026 for the offence under sections 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act lodged on 23.02.2026 by the informant, Ramnarayan Harijan.
3. As per the prosecution story, the Police, on secret information, raided the place and outside the house of the petitioner, 8 liters of country-made liquor recovered/seized. This led to the FIR.
4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that a perusal of the FIR would show that nothing has been recovered from her conscious possession and/or the house rather from the
2/4 open place and she do not have any criminal antecedent.
5. Further, learned counsel for the petitioner relied on the judgment of the 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 wherein it has been 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.
6. Learned APP opposes the prayer submitting that the recovery/seizure is from near the door of the petitioner's house.
7. Taking into account the submissions of the parties and the judgment in the case of Ram Vinay Yadav (supra), as also that she is a lady, recovery is not from her conscious possession and she do not have any criminal antecedent, in that background, this Court is inclined to extend her the privilege of anticipatory bail with conditions.
8. If, however, it is found that contrary to the statement made in paragraph-3, the petitioner has criminal antecedent, the present order shall become infructuous.
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9. Let the petitioner be released on bail in the event of arrest or surrender within a period of four weeks from the receipt of this order, on furnishing bail bond of Rs. 10,000/- (Ten thousand) with two sureties of like amount each to the satisfaction of learned District & Addl. Sessions Judge-V-cumSpecial Judge, (Excise-I), Biharsharif, Nalanda in connection with Deepnagar P.S. Case No. 101 of 2026 subject to the following conditions:
(i) one of the bailor should be the family member/relative of the petitioner who shall provide official document to show his/her bona fide;
(ii) the petitioner shall be appearing before the Police Station as and when required for cooperating in the investigation;
(iii) the petitioner shall appear on each and every date before the Trial Court and failure to do so for two consecutive dates without plausible reason will entail cancellation of her bail bond by the Trial Court itself; (iv) the petitioner shall in no way try to induce or promise or threat the witnesses or tamper with the evidences, failing which the State shall be at liberty to take steps for cancellation of the bail bonds;
4/4 (v) the petitioner shall desist from committing any criminal offence again, failing which the State shall be at liberty to take steps for cancellation of her bail bonds. (Rajiv Roy, J) Adnan/- U T