HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION No. - 25016 of 2025 Court No. - 67 HON'BLE KRISHAN PAHAL, J. 1. List has been revised. 2. Heard Sri Irshad Ahmad, Sri Janardan Yadav, learned counsels for the applicant, Sri Sunil Kumar, learned A.G.A. for the State and perused the material placed on record. 3. Applicant seeks bail in Case Crime No. 430 of 2025, under Section 8/20/25 of The Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, Police Station- Kotwali City, District Bijnor, during the pendency of trial. 4. As per the allegations of the FIR, the applicant is stated to be the owner of the said house from which 181.370 Kg. of Ganja was recovered. 5. Learned counsel for the applicant has argued that the applicant is absolutely innocent and has been falsely implicated in the present case with a view to cause unnecessary harassment and to victimize him. The applicant had given the said house on rent to co-accused Harsh Verma. The rent-deed has been annexed as Annexure No.3 to the affidavit accompanying the bail application. 6. Learned counsel for the applicant has further stated that the name of the applicant has come up in the confessional statement of co-accused person Harsh Verma. It is true that the recovered contraband falls within the category of commercial quantity, but the applicant has nothing to do with the said offence. There is no criminal history of the applicant. The applicant is Versus Counsel for Applicant(s) : Akhilesh Singh, Irshad Ahmad, Janardan Yadav Counsel for Opposite Party(s) : G.A. Keshav Dubey .....Applicant(s) State of U.P. .....Opposite Party(s) languishing in jail since 23.06.2025. In case, the applicant is released on bail, he will not misuse the liberty of bail. 7. Learned A.G.A. has vehemently opposed the bail application on the ground that the recovery of the contraband article is of commercial quantity. 8. The Apex Court in the Case of Union of India vs. Shiv Shankar Keshari, (2007) 7 SCC 798 has held that the court while considering the application for bail with reference to Section 37 of the Act is not called upon to record a finding of not guilty. It is for the limited purpose essentially confined to the question of releasing the accused on bail that the court is called upon to see if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused is not guilty and records its satisfaction about the existence of such grounds. But the court has not to consider the matter as if it is pronouncing a judgment of acquittal and recording a finding of not guilty. 9. Considering the facts of the case and keeping in mind, the ratio of the Apex Court's judgment in the case of Union of India vs. Shiv Shankar Keshari (supra) larger mandate of Article 21 of the constitution of India, the nature of accusations, the nature of evidence in support thereof, the severity of punishment which conviction will entail, the character of the accused- applicant, circumstances which are peculiar to the accused, reasonable possibility of securing the presence of the accused at the trial, reasonable apprehension of the witnesses being tampered with, the larger interest of the public/ State and other circumstances, but without expressing any opinion on the merits, I am of the view that it is a fit case for grant of bail. The bail application is allowed. 10. Let the applicant- Keshav Dubey, who is involved in aforementioned case be released on bail on his furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned subject to following conditions. Further, before issuing the release order, the sureties be verified. (i) The applicant shall not tamper with evidence during trial. (ii) The applicant shall not pressurise/intimidate with the prosecution witnesses. (iii) The applicant shall appear before the trial court on the date fixed. BAIL No. 25016 of 2025 2 11. In case of breach of any of the above conditions, it shall be a ground for cancellation of bail. 12. It is made clear that observations made in granting bail to the applicant shall not in any way affect the learned trial Judge in forming his independent opinion based on the testimony of the witnesses. September 10, 2025 (Ravi Kant) BAIL No. 25016 of 2025 3 (Krishan Pahal,J.) Digitally signed by :- RAVI KANT High Court of Judicature at Allahabad