IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA CRIMINAL MISCELLANEOUS No.18820 of 2026 Arising Out of PS. Case No.-33 Year-2024 Thana- HARPUR District- Munger ====================================================== Tarun Manjhi S/O Late Bateshwar Manjhi Resident of Village- Sarouna, Sangrampur, P.S- Harpur (Sangrampur), District- Munger. ... ... Petitioner/s Versus The State of Bihar ... ... Opposite Party/s ====================================================== Appearance : For the Petitioner/s : Mr.Allama Abdul Quadir Jamal Faridi For the Opposite Party/s : Mr.Parmeshwar Mehta ====================================================== CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SATYAVRAT VERMA ORAL ORDER 2 02-04-2026 1. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned A.P.P. for the State. 2. The petitioner apprehends his arrest in connection with Harpur P.S. Case No. 33 of 2024, registered for the offences punishable under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act. 3. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that petitioner is a person with clean antecedent and the informant alleges that PDS of petitioner was inspected on 18-1-2024, when beneficiary Nardi Devi along with 18 beneficiaries complained that petitioner does not distribute grains on time and when grain is distributed, the same is less than the entitlement, next alleges that during inspection the stock of when, rise and kerosene was found short, it is further alleged that the stock Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.18820 of 2026(2) dt.02-04-2026 2/3 register and the distribution register was asked from the petitioner, it is alleged that 30.62 quital of rice, 127.72 quital of wheat along with 386 litres of kerosene ought to have been in the stock but the same was found missing thus alleges that the aforesaid quantity of wheat, rice and kerosene was sold in black-marketing. 4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that petitioner has been falsely implicated in the instant case by the informant. It is next submitted that petitioner is distributing the grains to the beneficiaries as per entitlement including kerosene oil, but then Nardi Devi made a false complaint. 5. Learned A.P.P. for the State opposes the prayer for anticipatory bail of the petitioner and submits that from perusal of the allegation, it is culled out that petitioner is indulging in black-marketing of grains and kerosene oil meant for the beneficiaries, as such it is a social offence also. It is further submitted that investigation in the case is continuing and if it is found that no black-marketing of grains and kerosene was resorted to by the petitioner in that event final form would be submitted, but then interrogation of the petitioner is required for establishing the truth. 6. Considering the submission made by learned APP, Patna High Court CR. MISC. No.18820 of 2026(2) dt.02-04-2026 3/3 the Court is not inclined to extend the privilege of anticipatory bail to the petitioner. 7. Accordingly, the prayer for anticipatory bail of the petitioner is rejected. Sumit/- (Satyavrat Verma, J) U T