Patna High Court Seeks Details On Number Of Women & Youth Apprehended Under Liquor Prohibition Law

Justice Satyavrat Verma ordered,

The court has passed this order while hearing the bail petition of one Kajal Kumari in a case registered under Section 30 (A) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act.

Before the court, Advocate Chandan Kumar Kashyap, appearing for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner, a woman, is in custody since 21.02.2022, she is a person with clean antecedent, charge-sheet has been submitted in this case.

Allegation is of recovery of 83.865 litre of liquor from the house of Priyaranjan Singh @ Chhoti Singh and the petitioner is his wife.

The counsel submitted that the petitioner, being a woman and a house wife with clean antecedent, has been roped in the case merely because some amount of liquor is alleged to have been found from the house.

He further submitted that it appears that from the day when this Prohibition Law came into force, several women and young boys in the age group of 18 to 25 years have been arrested en masse despite being first offender. He argued that it appears that because of this law, innocent women and young boys in large number have been arrested and it also seems that future of an entire generation of young boys has been spoiled because of incarceration in petty offences like Excise Act and most of them being first time offender.

The contended that the purpose for which the law enacted is not being served as young people of impressionable age are indulging in breaching the law with impunity because of lucrative consequences.

A.P.P. Chandra Bhushan Prasad, appearing for the respondent state, opposed the bail application.

The Court noted that the petitioner, a woman, is a person with clean antecedent and charge-sheet has been submitted in this case. Thus, the petitioner was directed to be released on bail on her furnishing bail bonds in the sum of Rs. 1,000/- with two sureties of the like amount each to the satisfaction of Court below where the case is pending.

The Court also orally called for the Chief Secretary of the Excise Department and sought details of women who have been jailed so far and youth in the age group of 18-25 years.