Neutral Citation No. ( 2026:JHHC:27610-DB ) IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI Criminal Appeal (D.B.) No. 1035 of 2026 --- Virodhi Kherwar @ Anurag son of Jaleshwar Kherwar, R/o Kothar, PO & PS Ramgarh, District Ramgarh, Jharkhand … … Appellant Versus The State of Jharkhand … … Respondent --- CORAM : HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE RONGON MUKHOPADHYAY : HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ARUN KUMAR RAI --- For the Appellant : Mr. Raj Kishore Sahu, Advocate For the Respondent : A.P.P. --- 3/14.09.2026 Heard Mr. Raj Kishore Sahu, learned counsel appearing for the appellant and the learned A.P.P. appearing for the State. 2. This appeal is directed against the order dated 06.07.2026 passed by the learned Additional Judicial Commissioner IV-cum-Special Judge, POCSO Act, Ranchi in connection with MCA No. 1485 of 2026 arising out of Dhurwa P. S. Case No. 8 of 2026 corresponding to S. T. No. 348 of 2026 whereby and whereunder the prayer for bail of the appellant has been rejected. 3. It has been alleged that an information was received by the informant from the Technical Branch as well as from the Investigating Officer of Dhurwa P. S. Case No. 1 of 2026 that 4 persons were travelling to Latehar from Ranchi in a vehicle and some children for the purposes of trafficking were also with them. On this information, the vehicle was intercepted by the police at Sithio and the accused persons have disclosed that the children are at Kothar in Ramgarh and Balumath in Latehar. Two separate teams were constituted and raids were conducted after which 52 children were recovered. Based on the aforesaid allegations, Dhurwa (Hatia) P. S. Case No. 8 of 2026 was instituted against the appellant and others. 4. It has been submitted by Mr. Raj Kishore Sahu, learned counsel for the appellant that in course of investigation, no parents have come forward to state that any of their children have been abducted. All the children who were from Kothar are either the children of the appellant or of his relatives. He has further submitted that in all other cases -2- instituted against the appellant, he has already been acquitted. He has also submitted that the appellant is in custody since 18.01.2026 and charge-sheet has already been submitted. 5. Learned A.P.P. for the State has opposed the prayer for bail of the appellant and has submitted that the appellant was apprehended from a vehicle and on search conducted in his house, several children were recovered. He has also submitted that the prayer for bail of the some of the accused persons have already been rejected by this court. 6. After the appellant was apprehended along with other accused persons from the vehicle, a search was conducted in the house of the appellant at Kothar and several children were recovered. Save and except a vague statement that recovered children are related to the appellant or his family members, nothing has been shown in support of such contention. Even in course of investigation, nothing has come to lend validity to such assertion. The appellant appears to be one of the active members of the gang involved in stealing and trafficking the children to plunge them into the dark and sinister world of begging and prostitution. The prayers for bail of some of the co-accused persons have already been rejected in Cr. Appeal (DB) Nos. 837 of 2026 and 698 of 2026. 7. We on the basis of the discussions made hereinabove, do not find any reason to interfere in the impugned order dated 06.07.2026 passed by the learned Additional Judicial Commissioner IV-cum-Special Judge, POCSO Act, Ranchi in connection with MCA No. 1485 of 2026 arising out of Dhurwa P. S. Case No. 8 of 2026 corresponding to S. T. No. 348 of 2026 and consequently we dismiss this appeal. (Rongon Mukhopadhyay, J.) (Arun Kumari Rai, J.) 14 September 2026 Uploaded R. Shekhar Cp 3