Patna HC grants bail to five including two laywers arrested for consuming liquor inside Gopalganj court

PATNA: Patna high court on Friday granted regular bail to five persons including two lawyers who were arrested for allegedly consuming liquor inside Lawyers’ house inside Gopalganj civil court premises on August 1.
Those granted bail on personal bond at present stage by bench of Justice S Kumar were Gopalganj lawyers’ association general secretary Shailendra Kumar Tiwary, Gopalganj civil court lawyer Girijesh Kumar Mishra, Ranjeet Rai, Pramod Srivastava and Sadanand Singh.
The petitioners directly moved high court without approaching sessions court due to reason that they would remain closed till August 10 or till further orders due to pandemic. Petitioners will furnish normal bail bonds when courts start functioning.
Appearing for petitioners, senior counsel Manan Kumar Mishra submitted that petitioners were at court premises for distribution of lawyers’ welfare fund issued by Bar council of India and had fell victim to conspiracy as FIR is registered on August 1 while seizure list is of August 2. It was also submitted that petitioners were not found in drunken state nor there was any recovery of illicit liquor from their possession. Additional public prosecutor Ram Naresh Ray opposed the bail petitions.
Informant police, in FIR, had alleged that petitioners were found in drunken condition and 230ml of liquor was found at gate of Lawyers’ house.