IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI WEDNESDAY. THE TWENTIETH DAY OF AUGUST, TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE .PRESENT: HONOURABLE DR JUSTICE Y. LAKSHMANA RAO CRIMINAL PETITION NO: 8476 OF 2025 “'v;- ; -v . .i*' Between: Gopireddy Maneesh Kumar Reddy, S/o G.Sreenivasulu Reddy, Aged about 24 years, resident of D.No.2/112, Bayanapalli, Kondapeta, Chennur Mandal, Y.S.R Kadapa District. ...Petitioner/Accused No.2 AND The State of Andhra Pradesh, Represented by its Public Prosecutor, Through Proh. and Excise Station, Kadapa High Court of A.P. Amaravathi. ...Respondent Petition under Sections 437 & 439 of Cr.P.C (Under Section 480 & 483 of BNSS. 2023) is filed praying that in the circumstances stated in the memorandum of grounds of Criminal Petition, the High Court pleased to enlarge the petitioner on bail in connection with F.I.R No.49 of 2025 on the file of Proh. & Excise Station, Kadapa; may be The petition coming on for hearing, upon perusing the Petition and the memorandum of grounds of criminal petition and upon hearing the arguments of Sri T.Diwakar Reddy, Advocate for the Petitioner and Public Prosecutor for the Respondent, the Court made the following; 2 ORDER; This criminal petition has been filed under Sections 480 and 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, seeking to enlarge the petitioner-accused No. 2 on bail in crime No. 49 of 2025 of Prohibition and Excise Station, Kadapa, registered for the offence punishable under Section 8 (c) read with Section 20 (b) (ii) (B) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. 2. Case of the prosecution is that on 05-07-2025, the Prohibition and Excise Inspector, Kadapa, along with staff and mediators reached Apsara Circle and found two persons sitting on 02 two-wheelers having plastic covers in their hands. Then, the Prohibition and Excise Inspector detained them and on enquiry, they confessed the offence. Then, the Prohibition and Excise Inspector after following the procedure, searched them and found 1100 grams of dried Ganja in their possession. Then, he arrested accused Nos. 1 and 2 and seized 1100 grams of dried Ganja and 02 two- wheelers from their possession under a cover of mahazarnama. 3. Sri T.Diwakar Reddy, learned counsel for the petitioner, contends that the petitioner is innocent of the alleged offence and has been falsely implicated by the police. It is further submitted that the petitioner is the sole earning member of the family and, therefore, his continued incarceration would cause undue hardship to his dependents. The petitioner undertakes to strictly adhere to any conditions that may be imposed by this Court, in light of i 3 the foregoing, learned counsel prays that the present petition be allowed in the interest of justice. Per contra, Ms. Akhila Naidu, learned Assistant Public Prosecutor, 4. vehemently opposed the grant of bail to the petitioner, submitting that the investigation is still underway and several material witnesses remain to be examined. It is contended that if the petitioner is released on bail at this stage, there is a strong likelihood that he may abscond, thereby hampering the ongoing investigation and evading the process of law. In view of the foregoing, it is urged that the petition be dismissed. 5. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Assistant Public Prosecutor. Perused the record. 6. As seen from the record, the petitioner-accused No. 2 was arrested on 05-07-2025 on the allegation that he was in possession of 1100 Grams of dried Ganja which is not a commercial quantity. The petitioner is permanent resident of Bayanapalli of Kondapeta, Chennur Mandal, Y.S.R. Kadapa District. The petitioner-accused No. 2 has been in judicial custody for the past 47 days. All the witnesses are official witnesses. Material portion of the investigation is completed. Important witnesses have been examined. Therefore, the question of the petitioner threatening the witnesses or interfering with the investigation process may not arise. 4 7. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the nature and gravity of the allegations levelled against the petitioner-accused No. 2, this Court is inclined to enlarge him on bail with the following stringent conditions: (i) The petitioner-accused No. 2 shall be enlarged on bail subject to his executing a bond for a sum of Rs.20,000/- (Rupees Twenty Thousand only) with two sureties for the like sum each to the satisfaction of learned Special Judicial Magistrate of I Class for Trial of Prohibition and Excise Offences, Kadapa; (ii) The petitioner-accused No. 2 shall appear before the Station House Officer concerned on every Saturday in between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. till cognizance is taken by learned Trial Court; (iii) The petitioner-accused No. 2 shall not leave the limits of the district without prior permission from the Station House Officer concerned: (iv) The petitioner-accused No. 2 shall not commit or indulge in commission of any offence in future; (V) The petitioner-accused No. 2 shall cooperate with the investigating officer in further investigation of the case and shall make himself available for interrogation by the investigating officer as and when required; and % 5 (Vi) The petitioner-accused No. 2 shall make any inducement, threat not, directly or indirectly, or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case so as to dissuade him/her from disclosing such facts to the court or to any police officer. 8. The criminal petition is accordingly allowed. SD/-B.CHITTI JOSEPH ASSISTANT GISTRAR //TRUE COPY// SECTION OmCER Foi To, 1. The Special Judicial Magistrate of I Class for Excise Offences, Kadapa. 2. The Superintendent, Central Prison 3. The Station House Officer, Proh. 4. One CC to Sri. T.Diwakar Reddy, Advocate 5. Two CCs to Public Prosecutor, High Court of AP 6. One spare copy Trial of Prohibition & Kadapa, Y.S.R. Kadapa District. and Excise Station, Kadapa [OPUC] [OUT] HIGH COURT Dr.YLR.J DATED:20/08/2025 ORDER CRLP.No.8476 of 2025 ALLOWED M 2 0 flUfi 2025 ir