Ranjan Kumar v. The State Of Bihar

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA

CRIMINAL APPEAL (SJ) No.3868 of 2025 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-19 Year-2025 Thana- SC/ST BETTIAH District- West Champaran ====================================================== 1.

Ranjan Kumar S/O Sri Ramesh Prasad Patel @ Ramesh Prasad Resident of village- Parwatiya Nawka Tola, Ward No. 02, P.S- Bettiah Town, Distt.- West Champaran.

2.

Pankaj Kumar @ Pankaj Kumar Patel S/O Sri Prakash Prasad R/O VillageDaniyal Parsauna, P.S- Sathi, Distt.- West Champaran. ... ... Appellants

Versus

1.

The State of Bihar 2.

Pankaj Kumar Suman S/O Sri Ramshringar Prasad R/O Village- Damodara, P.O and P.S- Guthani, Distt.- Siwan.

... ... Respondents ====================================================== Appearance :

For the Appellant/s :

Mr. Sharad Kumar Verma, Advocate :

Mr. Harsha Shaswat, Advocate For the Respondent/s :

Mrs. Usha Kumari 1, Spl.P.P.

====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA ORAL ORDER 17-03-2026 Heard learned counsel for the appellants and learned Spl. P.P. for the State.

2. This is an appeal under Section 14-A(2) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (hereinafter referred to as the "SC/ST Act") against the refusal of prayer for anticipatory bail vide order dated 25.08.2025 passed by the learned 1st Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge S.C./S.T. (POA) Act, West Champaran in connection with Bettiah SC/ST P.S. Case No. 19 of 2025 registered for the offences punishable under Sections 126(2), 115(2), 316(2), 318(4), 351(2), 352, 3(5) and 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), 3(2)(va) of SC and ST (POA) Act.

3. Learned counsel for the appellants submits that the

Patna High Court CR. APP (SJ) No.3868 of 2025(4) dt.17-03-2026 2/3 case was taken up on 10.11.2025 and the learned Spl.P.P. was directed to inform the informant about the pendency of the case through the S.P./S.H.O.

4. Learned counsel for the appellants submits that the appellants are persons with clean antecedent and the informant alleges that on 10.08.2023 he gave Rs. 4,00,000/- by cheque to Ranjan Kumar for purchasing a Scorpio Vehicle, it is next alleged that after one month when he asked Ranjan Kumar to get the vehicle transferred in his name, he said the same will take time but later refused and the finance company people got the vehicle towed and took possession of the same, thereafter the informant went to the garage of Ranjan on 27.09.2024 when he was abused by taking caste name.

5. Learned counsel for the appellants submits that appellants have been falsely implicated in the instant case by the informant on account of dispute relating to purchase of vehicle. It is further submitted that even presuming what has been alleged is true without admitting then prima facie no offence under the SC/ST Act is made out as the informant alleged that he had gone to the garage of the appellants when he was abused by taking caste name, as such, the occurrence did not take place in public view nor the FIR does not even remotely suggest that

Patna High Court CR. APP (SJ) No.3868 of 2025(4) dt.17-03-2026 3/3 the occurrence was witnessed by any independent witnesses.

6. Learned Spl. P.P. for the State opposes the prayer made by learned counsel for the appellants.

7. In view of the submissions made by the learned counsel for the parties, the order dated 25.08.2025 passed by the learned 1st Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge S.C./S.T. (POA) Act, West Champaran in connection with Bettiah SC/ST P.S. Case No. 19 of 2025 is hereby set aside and the appellant above-named, in the event of his arrest or surrender within a period of six weeks from today, be released on anticipatory bail on furnishing bail bonds of Rs. 5,000/- (Rupees Five Thousand) each with two sureties of the like amount each to the satisfaction of the learned court below where the case is pending/successor court in connection with Bettiah SC/ST P.S. Case No. 19 of 2025 subject to the conditions as laid down under Section 482 (2) of the BNSS.

8. Accordingly the appeal stands allowed.

(Satyavrat Verma, J) Gaurav Sinha/- U T