Habib Ahmad v. The State Of Bihar
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.29769 of 2024 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-247 Year-2023 Thana- GHANSHYAMPUR District- Darbhanga ====================================================== Habib Ahmad S/O Rais Ahmad @ Raees Ahmad R/O Vill Bhagwant Nagar P.S Swar Distt- Rampur State Up ... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
The State of Bihar ... ... Opposite Party/s ====================================================== Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s :
Mr.Kedar Jha, Adv For the Opposite Party/s :
Mr.Asha Kumari, APP ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE CHANDRA PRAKASH SINGH ORAL ORDER 23-04-2024 Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Additional Public Prosecutor for the State.
2. The Petitioner is apprehending his arrest in connection with Ghanshyampur P.S. Case No. 247 of 2023 dated 06.11.2023 of the offences punishable u/s 30(a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act 2018.
3. As per the prosecution case, total 1334.94 litres of illicit country made liquor was recovered from the truck and the pick-up van.
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 in para 3 of the bail petition. The petitioner is the owner of the
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.29769 of 2024(2) dt.23-04-2024 2/3 seized truck but the same was not being driven by him at the time of the alleged recovery. It is further submitted that the seized truck was sold by the petitioner to one Nasir. The name of the petitioner has transpired in this case only on the basis of owner of the seized truck. No incriminating article has been recovered from the conscious possession of the petitioner, hence no case is made out. 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
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.29769 of 2024(2) dt.23-04-2024 3/3 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 amount each to the satisfaction of the learned court concerned, Darbhanga in connection with Ghanshyampur P.S. Case No. 247 of 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) jyoti/- U T