Jharkhand High Court
Panna Lal Mahto @ Panna Lal Ganjhu @ Panna … vs National Investigation Agency on 2 April, 2026
Author: Rongon Mukhopadhyay
Bench: Rongon Mukhopadhyay
2026:JHHC:9282-DB
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI
Cr. Appeal (DB) No. 1550 of 2025
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1. Panna Lal Mahto @ Panna Lal Ganjhu @ Panna Lal, aged about
43 years, S/o. Late Choyta Mahto, R/o. Vill.- Ganaloya, P.O. &
P.S.- Murhu, Dist.- Khunti, Jharkhand.
2. Shiv Shankar Ganjhu @ Shiv Shankar Mahto @ Shankar @ Shiv
Kumar Ganjhu, aged about 44 years, S/o. Late Choyta Mahto,
R/o. Vill.- Ganaloya, P.O. & P.S.- Murhu, Dist.- Khunti,
Jharkhand.
… … Appellants
-Versus –
National Investigation Agency … … Respondent
——
CORAM: – Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay
Hon’ble Mr. Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava
——
For the Appellants : Mr. Amlan Palit, Advocate
For the Respondent-NIA : Mr. Amit Kumar Das, Spl.P.P. (NIA)
For the State : Mr. Saket Kumar, A.P.P.
——
Order No. 07/Dated: 2nd April, 2026
Pursuant to the order dated 01.04.2026, instruction has been
obtained by Mr. Saket Kumar, learned A.P.P. and he has submitted
that since no complaint was received with respect to the threat given
by the appellant no. 1 to PW-24, no enquiry has been conducted.
2. Heard Mr. Amlan Palit, learned counsel for the appellants and
learned Special P.P. for the NIA.
3. This appeal is directed against the order dated 17.09.2025
passed in Misc. Criminal Application No. 1647/2025 arising out of
NIA Special Case No. 01/2020 by the learned Additional Judicial
Commissioner-XVI-cum-Special Judge NIA, Ranchi, whereby and
whereunder, the prayer for bail of the appellant has been rejected.
4. The prosecution case is based upon the self-statement of
Meera Singh In-charge AHTU, Khunti P.S. on 19.07.2019 to the
effect that a secret information was received that Panna Lal Mahto
(appellant no. 1) was planning to traffick minor girls to Delhi in his
white colour Fortuner car bearing registration number JH01BH-
5434. On this information, a raid was conducted in the house of the
elder brother of Panna Lal Mahto and on seeing the Police party,
Panna Lal Mahto tried to escape but he was apprehended. On a
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search conducted one Apple mobile, grey colour bag, yellow colour
file, blue colour diary, cheque books of ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Uco
Bank, HDFC Bank, Induslnd Bank and two ATM Cards of Axis
Bank, two PAN cards, one driving license, one Delhi Metro card,
key of vehicle, three land agreement papers and five non-judicial
stamp papers were seized.
Based on the aforesaid allegations AHTU P.S. Case No.
07/2019 was instituted against Panna Lal Mahto and unknown others
for the offences punishable under Sections 363 370A, 371, 374,
120B, 420/34 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 16 and 18 of
Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1908.
5. The Central Government vide F. No. 11011/24/2020/NIA
dated 02.03.2020 of Ministry of Home Affairs, CTCR Division,
New Delhi had handed over the investigation to the National
Investigation Agency and AHTU P.S. Case No. 07/2019 was re-
registered as RC-09/2020/NIA/DLI u/s 363, 370(3)(4)(5)(6),
370(A), 371, 374, 120B, 420/34 of the Indian Penal Code and
Sections 16 and 18 of Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1908.
On completion of investigation the NIA had submitted the First
Supplementary charge-sheet against Panna Lal Mahto, Gopal Oraon
@ Gopal and others u/s 120B, 363, 370(2)(3)(4)(5), 370A, 371, 374,
376, 420/34 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 6 and 12 r/w Section
25 of Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and
Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 and Section 79 of Juvenile Justice
(Care and Protection) Act, 2015.
6. It has been submitted by Mr. Amlan Palit, learned counsel for
the appellants that so far as the appellant no. 1 is concerned, he has
remained in custody for almost 7 years, whereas the appellant no. 2
has remained in custody for 5 years. Learned counsel further submits
that the appellant no. 2 has been implicated only on the ground of
being a conspirator and there is no evidence worth mentioning
which will indicate the culpability of the appellant no. 2 in being
involved in human trafficking. Learned counsel further submits that
despite being incarcerated for more than five years, the trial has not
been concluded yet.
7. Mr. Amit Kumar Das, learned Special P.P. for NIA has
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submitted that the trial is on the verge of closure. The evidence of
the witnesses does indicate the involvement of the appellants in
human trafficking. It has further been submitted that so far as the
appellant no. 1 is concerned, he had meted out a threat from inside
the jail to PW-24 threatening him to resile from his earlier statement
given at the time of investigation.
8. On 25.02.2026, this court had directed the learned Trial Court
to send a status report updating the stage of the trial. The status
report has been received, from which, it appears that 60 witnesses
have been examined by the prosecution and it has further been
mentioned that NIA intends to examine 03 to 05 witnesses more.
9. Considering the status report which indicates that the trial is
on the verge of closure and few witnesses are left to be examined
and considering the nature of allegation levelled against the
appellants, we are not inclined to interfere in the impugned order
17.09.2025 passed in Misc. Criminal Application No. 1647/2025
arising out of NIA Special Case No. 01/2020 by the learned
Additional Judicial Commissioner-XVI-cum-Special Judge NIA,
Ranchi and, consequently, we dismiss this appeal at this stage.
10. This appeal is dismissed.
(Rongon Mukhopadhyay, J.)
(Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, J.)
2nd April, 2026
Rahul/
Uploaded on 06/04/2026
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