Baria Hemang Kumar Mangabhai v. The State Of Telangana

IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA

AT HYDERABAD THE HONOURABLE SMT. JUSTICE K. SUJANA CRIMINAL PETITION No.3537 of 2026 DATE: 23.03.2026 BETWEEN:

Baria Hemang Kumar Mangabhai .....petitioner And The State of Telangana, Rep. by Public Prosecutor, High Court for the State of Telangana, at Hyderabad.

.....Respondent/complainant

ORDER

This Criminal Petition is filed seeking to enlarge the petitioner, on bail, who is arrayed as accused in Crime No.AIR CUS/49/Adjn/02/2026/AIU-D of Air Customs, Rajiv Gandhi

International Airport, Hyderabad, registered for the offences punishable under Section 20, 23 and 29 of the NDPS Act. 2.

The brief facts of the case are that the petitioner is involved in illicit transportation and import of a substance suspected to be Ganja and he was travelling from Bangkok to Hyderabad via Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian Airlines flight No.MH 198. The offices of Air Intelligence Unit, Customs, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in the lpresence of independent witnesses, seized total 3110 grams which was concealed in polythene packets inside the clothes in a black coloured checked-in trolley bag bearing No.0 232 MH 613570 under the cover of panchanama on 01.02.2026 in the premises at International Arrival Hall, RGIA, Shamshabad duly audio and video recorded as per BNSS, 2023. 3.

Heard Sri P. Raju, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner as well as Sri M. Ramachandra Reddy, learned Additional Public Prosecutor appearing on behalf of the respondent-State.

4.

Learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner has not committed any offence as alleged in the

complaint and that the seized contraband is of intermediate quantity i.e., 3110 grams of Ganja. He further submitted that the petitioner has been in jail since 01.02.2026. Therefore, he prayed this Court to grant bail to the petitioner by allowing this criminal petition.

5.

On the other hand, learned Additional Public Prosecutor opposed the submissions made by the learned counsel for the petitioner stating that the investigation was not yet completed, as such, granting bail to the petitioner, at this stage, does not arise. Hence, he prayed the Court to dismiss the criminal petition.

6.

In the light of the submissions made by both the learned counsel and a perusal of the material available on record, since the seized contraband is of intermediate quantity, the petitioner have been languishing in jail since 01.02.2026, and the material part of the investigation has already been completed, this Court deems it fit to grant bail to the petitioner, subject to the following conditions:

i.

The petitioner shall execute a personal bond for a sum of Rs.25,000/- (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand only) each, with two sureties for a like sum each to the satisfaction of the learned District Sessions Judge, Ranga Reddy District.

ii.

The petitioner shall appear before the concerned SHO at 11:00 a.m., on every Monday for a period of eight (8) week or till filing of charge sheet whichever is earlier, for the purpose of investigation, and thereafter, as and when required.

iii.

The petitioner shall abide by the conditions stipulated in Section 437(3) of Cr.P.C.(presently, Section 480(3) of the BNSS).

7.

Accordingly, the Criminal petition is allowed. Miscellaneous applications, if any pending, shall stand closed.

_______________ K. SUJANA, J Date: 23.03.2026 SAI

THE HONOURABLE SMT JUSTICE K. SUJANA CRIMINAL PETITION No.3537 of 2026 Date: 23.03.2026 SAI