Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo Sworn-In As 47th Chief Justice Of Patna High Court

Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo was sworn in as the 47th Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on Wednesday (January 7). He was administered the oath of office by Governor of Bihar Arif Mohammed Khan. The ceremony, which was held in Bihar Lok Bhavan, was attended by various dignitaries of the State including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.The Collegium of the Supreme Court headed by CJI Surya Kant...

Bihar Excise Act | Patna High Court Reduces Penalty From 50% To 30% For Release Of Rental Car Seized With Liquor

The Patna High Court has slashed a 50 percent penalty imposed for releasing a rental car seized with nearly 318 litres of liquor. It ordered that the vehicle be released on payment of 30 percent of its insured value and struck down an additional 3 per cent charge as illegal. A Division Bench of Justice Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and Justice Sourendra Pandey noted that the vehicle owner was not...

Patna High Court Confirms Conviction Of Tax Assistant For Accepting ₹600 Bribe To Process Income Tax Refund

The Patna High Court has upheld the conviction of a Tax Assistant for demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹600 for processing an income tax refund, confirming the sentence imposed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The single bench of Justice Alok Kumar Pandey noted that it is crystal clear that the place of occurrence is the Income Tax Office, Sasaram, where the...

[Bihar Excise Act] Patna High Court Slashes 90% Penalty On Insurance Declared Value Of Seized Motorcycle To 10% In Liquor Case

The Patna High Court has relaxed an excessive penalty of 90% of Insurance Declared Value (IDV) to 10% on a motorcycle seized in a liquor-related offence. A Division Bench comprising Justice Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and Justice Sourendra Pandey held that, considering the quantum of liquor (18 litres), applying Rule 12A of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Rules, 2021, which prescribes 10%...

Patna High Court Annual Digest 2025

Citation 2025 LiveLaw (Pat) 1 to 2025 LiveLaw (Pat) 104Termination Of Services Of Anganwadi Supervisor Without Following Procedure, Patna HC RevokesCase Title: Kiran Devi vs The State of Bihar and OrsCitation: 2025 LiveLaw (Pat) 1A single judge bench of the Patna High Court comprising of Justice Bibek Chaudhuri held that termination of Anganwadi Supervisor from the service without following...

Review Power Not Inherent; Authority Becomes Functus Officio Once Final Order Passed: Patna HC Reinstates Panchayat Teachers After 10 Years

The Patna High Court recently set aside the orders of the state-level tribunals and reinstated two women Panchayat teachers in Buxar after nearly a decade-long legal battle. In doing so, the Court reiterated that the power of review is not an inherent attribute of a judicial or quasi-judicial authority and must flow from a specific statutory conferment.A Single Judge Bench comprising Justice...

Participation In Strike Alone Cannot Justify Termination Without Enquiry: Patna High Court

The Patna High Court held that participation in a strike, by itself, cannot automatically justify termination of service, particularly in the absence of any finding of illegality of the strike or misconduct attributable to the employee. The Court further held that treating absence during a strike as misconduct or abandonment of service requires adherence to due process, including issuance of...

Anticipatory Bail Applications Maintainable Even For Offences Punishable With 7 Year Sentence Or More: Patna High Court

The Patna High Court has clarified that a Sessions Court having jurisdiction to decide an anticipatory bail application is duty-bound to adjudicate the same on merits by either allowing or rejecting it, and cannot dispose of such an application without doing either. The Court further clarified that there is no statutory bar on entertaining anticipatory bail applications merely because the...

'No Respect For Law': Patna High Court Orders FIR & SIT Probe Over Irregularities In Excise Vehicle Auctions, Awards ₹12 Lakh Compensation

The Patna High Court recently directed the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) to register an FIR into the affairs of the Excise Department, Muzaffarpur, in connection with the arbitrary auctioning of seized vehicles.A Division Bench comprising Justice Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and Justice Sourendra Pandey was hearing a writ petition seeking a writ of certiorari to quash and set aside the auction sale of...

Non-Filing Of ITR By Creditor Not Proof For Lack Of Creditworthiness: Patna High Court Deletes Income Tax Additions

The Patna High Court has held that the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal was not justified in restoring an addition of ₹1.91 crore under Section 68 of the Income Tax Act after reversing a reasoned order of the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), where the assessee had produced documentary evidence and the Assessing Officer's remand report did not disclose any adverse material. A...

Patna High Court Issues Guidelines For Speedy Trial Pursuant To Supreme Court Directions In CBI V Mir Usman

In a circular dated 12 December 2025, the Patna High Court issued administrative directions to all trial courts aimed at ensuring the expeditious conduct of trials.The circular has been issued in compliance with the Supreme Court's judgment in CBI v Mir Usman. It expressly refers to paragraph 37 of the Supreme Court's order dated 22 September 2025 in SLP (Crl.) No. 969/2025 (Central Bureau...

[Bihar Excise Act] No Presumption Against Motorcycle Owner If Liquor Found On Person Of Co-Rider: Patna High Court

The Patna High Court recently observed that where illicit liquor is recovered from the person of a co-accused and not from any part of the vehicle, the motorcycle cannot be said to have been used in the commission of an offence under the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act. Consequently, the statutory presumption under Section 32 of the Act against the owner of the vehicle does not arise unless...