Patna High Court
Paras Kumar vs The State Of Bihar on 16 February, 2026
Author: Mohit Kumar Shah
Bench: Mohit Kumar Shah, Sunil Dutta Mishra
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT PATNA
Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No. 20955 of 2025
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Paras Kumar Son Of Ram Daresh Rai, Resident Of Village- Gohi Tara,
Bishunpur, P.S.- Warisnagar, District- Samastipur, Pin Code- 848133 (Bihar).
... ... Petitioner/s
Versus
1. The State of Bihar Through The Principal Secretary, Registration, Excise
and Prohibition Department, Government Of Bihar, Patna.
2. The Principal Secretary, Registration, Excise and Prohibition Department,
Government Of Bihar, Patna
3. The Excise Additional Chief Secretary, Registration, Excise and Prohibition
Department, Government Of Bihar, Patna.
4. The District Magistrate, Samastipur, District- Samastipur (Bihar).
5. The Senior Deputy Collector, Samastipur, District Samastipur (Bihar).
6. The Superintendent Of Excise, Samastipur, District Samastipur (Bihar)
7. The Superintendent Of Police, Samastipur, District Samastipur (Bihar).
8. The Station House Officer, Kalyanpur Police Station, Samastipur, District
Samastipur (Bihar).
9. The Investigating Officer Of Kalyanpur Police Station Case No. 03 Of 2023,
District Samastipur (Bihar).
... ... Respondent/s
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Appearance:
For the Petitioner/s : Ms. Anu Priyadarshni, Advocate
For the Respondent/s : Mr. Government Pleader (24)
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CORAM: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE MOHIT KUMAR SHAH
and
HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SUNIL DUTTA MISHRA
ORAL JUDGMENT
(Per: HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE MOHIT KUMAR SHAH)
Date: 16-02-2026
The present writ petition has been filed for directing the
respondent-authorities to release the Tata Motors Yodha 1200
Pick-up vehicle bearing Registration No. BR33GB-1966,
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Engine No. VARICOR12JZXJ05377, Chassis No. MAT464663
LSJ05526 seized in connection with Kalyanpur P.S. Case No. 03
of 2023. The Petitioner has also prayed for quashing of the order
dt. 09.9.2025 passed by the Ld. Presiding Officer (Excise)- cum-
Senior Deputy Collector, Samastipur in Confiscation (Excise)
Case No. 15 of 2023-24 whereby and whereunder it has been
directed that the petitioner shall deposit 50% of the assessed
market value of the vehicle in question, to be assessed by the
Motor Vehicle Inspector, Samastipur as also pay 3% amount as
maintenance cost for the purposes of release of the vehicle in
question.
2. The brief facts of the case are that Kalyanpur P.S. Case
No. 03 of 2023 dated 04.01.2023 was registered under Sections
30(a), 32(2), 32(3), 36 and 41(1) of the Bihar Prohibition and
Excise Act, 2016 (hereinafter referred to as the 'Act, 2016') and
under Sections 420, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code
against the petitioner and others on account of recovery of 1.125
liters of illicit liquor from the aforesaid vehicle in question.
3. The learned counsel for the petitioner submits that
meager quantity of 1.125 liters of illicit liquor has been
recovered from the vehicle in question, however a bare perusal
of the order dated 09.09.2025 would show that excessive penalty
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has been imposed, thus the same defeats the provisions as
contained in the Act, 2016 for release of the vehicle in question.
It is submitted that the vehicle was found carrying 1.125 liters of
illicit liquor which is not a huge quantity, hence a sympathetic
view be taken and the amount assessed as penalty be reduced.
4. Per contra, the learned counsel for the respondent-State
has submitted that the petitioner was caught along with the
vehicle in question on account of carrying 1.125 liters of illicit
liquor, hence the vehicle in question has rightly been seized as
also appropriate penalty for release of the same has been levied
by the competent authority which in any view of the matter
cannot be said to be excessive.
5. We have considered the rival submissions advanced by
the learned counsels for the parties. We find from a bare perusal
of the counter affidavit filed by the respondents that there is no
material on record to suggest that the aforesaid vehicle in
question was in regular use for transportation of liquor or the
petitioner is a habitual offender.
6. We have also gone through the various provisions of
law, both as contained in the Act, 2016 as also Rule 12(A) of the
Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2023
(hereinafter referred to as the "Rules, 2023") from which it is
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apparent that while imposing penalty, the quantity of intoxicant
recovered as also the insurance value of the vehicle is required
to be considered and in case where vehicle is either undervalued
or insured value is not available, valuation is required to be done
by the District Transport Officer, however in the present case,
we find that there is no whisper in the impugned order dated
09.09.2025
, either about the insured value of the vehicle in
question being not available or the vehicle being undervalued,
hence the direction to assess the value of the vehicle in question
by the Motor Vehicle Inspector, Samastipur is patently illegal.
Even Rule 12A(4) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise
(Amendment) Rules, 2022 (hereinafter referred to as the “Rules,
2022”) provides that while imposing fine, the Collector or the
officer authorized by him shall have due regard to the economic
status of the individual, nature of his involvement in the crime
and the quantum of intoxicant recovered, however in the present
case we do not find that such exercise has been done by the Ld.
Presiding Officer (Excise)-cum-Senior Deputy Collector,
Samastipur while passing the impugned order dated 09.09.2025
in Confiscation (Excise) Case No. 15 of 2023-24.
7. Having considered the facts and circumstances of the
case as also taking into account the fact that meager quantity of
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1.125 liters of illicit liquor has been recovered, which is also one
of the factors, required to be considered while imposing penalty
for release of the vehicle, as has been provided under Rule
12A(2) of the Rules, 2023 and Rule 12A(4) of the Rules, 2022,
we are of the view that the penalty imposed by the learned
Presiding Officer (Excise), Samastipur is excessive, exorbitant
and unreasonable, hence the order dated 09.09.2025, passed in
Excise Case No. 15 of 2023-24 is quashed, especially in view of
the fact that additional 3% penalty on the head of maintenance
of vehicle is also patently illegal, since the confiscating
authority under the provisions contained in the Act, 2016, as
amended upto date, has no power to impose an additional 3%
penalty over and above the penalty amount, inasmuch as no
penalty can be imposed over and above what has been
sanctioned by law. Nonetheless, we are of the considered view
that Rs. 10,000/- (Ten Thousand) by way of penalty would a
reasonable amount. Accordingly, we direct that in case the
aforesaid sum of Rs. 10,000/- is deposited by the petitioner
before the competent authority within a period of two weeks
from today, the vehicle in question shall be released by the
competent authority in favor of the petitioner, after being
satisfied with the documents relating to ownership of the vehicle
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in question, within a period of one week, thereafter.
8. The writ petition stands allowed to the aforesaid extent.
(Mohit Kumar Shah, J)
(Sunil Dutta Mishra, J)
Rakhi/-
AFR/NAFR NAFR CAV DATE N.A. Uploading Date 18.02.2026 Transmission Date NA
