Class 12 student held with desi liquor gets bail to take board exams

RAIPUR: A 19-year-old Class 12 student in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district, arrested on Feb 22 this year on the charge of possessing 40 litres of country made liquor ‘mahua’, was granted bail by Chhattisgarh high court so that he could appear for his board exams.

Justice Ramesh Sinha, while passing the order on Mar 12, noted that the boy had no prior criminal record and that the trial was likely to take time to conclude.

The boy was booked by the police at Saraypali area of Mahsamund district under Section 34(2) of the Chhattisgarh Excise Act following a raid where officials reportedly seized mahua.

Appearing for the student, counsel Sumit Shrivastava argued that he was falsely implicated and that the liquor was recovered from an open area behind a house shared by several family members, which made it difficult to prove “conscious possession” by the student.

The counsel informed the court that the boy is a regular student whose board examinations are scheduled between Mar and Apr. He submitted that the student had received his admit card and had been in custody for nearly three weeks.

State counsel Palak Dwivedi opposed the bail plea, citing the recovery of 40 litres of liquor and the fact that the police are yet to file a charge sheet.

The bench, while granting bail, noted that the student had been in jail since Feb 22 and has no previous criminal history.