Pooja Kumari @ Puja Kumari v. The State Of Bihar
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.68777 of 2025 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-301 Year-2025 Thana- BETTIAH CITY District- West Champaran ====================================================== Pooja Kumari @ Puja Kumari Daughter of Late Ram Prasad Sah Resident of Village and Post - Mirzapur Kothi, P.S.- Simraha, District - Araria, Bihar - 854334.
... ... Petitioner
Versus
1.
The State of Bihar 2.
The Vigilance Department, Govt. of Bihar, Patna. Bihar ... ... Opposite Parties ====================================================== Appearance :
For the Petitioner/s :
Mr. N K Agrawal, Senior Advocate Mr.Prakash Kumar and Kr. Rajdeep, Advocates For the Opposite Party/s :
Mr.Shahabuddin Azeem @ S. Azeem, A.P.P.
For the Vigilance Mr. Rana Vikram Singh, Law officer ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE PRABHAT KUMAR SINGH ORAL ORDER 22-12-2025 Heard learned counsel for the parties.
2. Petitioner apprehends arrest in a case registered for the offence punishable under sections 7/8 of the Prevention and Corruption Act, 1988.
3. As per prosecution case, the informant, Lalan Prasad, the then District Transport Officer West Champaran Bettiah lodged a written complainant, stating therein that one the basis of a viral audio related to officers of District Transport Office, Bettiah and in light of order dated 16.06.2025 of District Magistrate West Champaran, a committee of 3 officers was constituted headed by Addl. Collector Departmental enquiry, West Champaran, Bettiah. The committee after enquiry, reported that officers of the Transport Department, West Champaran Bettiah, in league with some private persons and transport contractors, have committed illegal act of giving and taking money as bribe to obtain certain favour. On the basis of this re-
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.68777 of 2025(3) dt.22-12-2025 2/3 port dated 01.07.2025, the District Magistrate Bettiah, West Champaran vide his letter no. 2234/ गोdirected DTO, Bettiah to lodge an FIR in Town PS Bettiah and accordingly, present case was registered against all the FIR named accused persons including this petitioner.
4. It is submitted on behalf of the petitioner that the petitioner is a newly appointed Motor Vehicle Inspector and has not demanded any amount from anybody. Since, the expression 'Puja Madam' has been uttered in the conversation recorded in the said Audio clippings, petitioner Pooja Kumari @ Puja Kumar has been been named in the FIR without verification and authentication of alleged conversation. Purported conversation, which forms basis of this FIR, has not been generated from the mobile set possessed by the petitioner.
Petitioner is victim of circumstances in which one of her colleagues, namely, Santosh Kumar Das, the Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI), made certain false allegations against the petitioner with regard to work assignment which was opposed by the petitioner under information to the Commissioner, State Transport, Bihar, Patna upon which departmental proceeding was drawn against the said MVI. A copy of letter of petitioner dated 1.2.2025 is contained in annexure P/3 to the bail petition. Besides this, petitioner has been suspended on 30.7.2025 in contemplation of departmental proceedings.
5. Learned counsel for the State opposes the prayer for pre-arrest bail.
6. Considering the aforesaid facts of the case, prayer for bail of this petitioner is allowed. In the event of arrest/surrender within eight weeks from today, let this petitioner, mentioned above, be enlarged on bail on furnishing
Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.68777 of 2025(3) dt.22-12-2025 3/3 bail bond of Rs.10,000/- (ten thousand) with two sureties of the like amount each to the satisfaction of the Special Judge, Vigilance, North Bihar, Muzaffarpur in Special case no. 29 of 2025/ Bettiah Town Police Station Case No. 301 of 2025, subject to the conditions laid down under section 482 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
(Prabhat Kumar Singh, J) Shashi U T