Facts of the Case

This batch of eight connected criminal appeals arose out of one FIR (No. 42 dated 13.05.2025) registered under Sections 105, 103, 109, 61(2), 103(2), 123 and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Sections 61(1) and 61-A of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, Section 6 of the Poisons Act, and Sections 3 & 4 of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in connection with the manufacture and sale of spurious liquor made from industrial methanol, which reportedly caused deaths and injuries among consumers. The appellants — Gurmeet Singh @ Sabba, Fanil, Arvind Kumar, Pankaj Kumar, Paramjeet Singh, Ninder Kaur, Sahib Singh and Gurjant Singh — had their bail applications dismissed by the Additional Sessions Judge, Amritsar, and approached the High Court under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. GST-related tax invoices surfaced only as evidentiary documents: for instance, a tax invoice for 600 litres of methanol issued by Shikhar Industries to Bharat Heavy Chemicals for Rs. 23,364 (inclusive of 18% GST), and a further sale invoice by Bharat Heavy Chemicals to one Ravi Kumar for Rs. 35,872 (inclusive of 18% GST), were cited to trace the supply chain of the methanol.

Issues Involved

  1. Whether the appellants, charged in connection with a spurious/methanol liquor case that allegedly caused loss of life, were entitled to bail pending trial.
  2. Whether recovery, role, custody period, completion of investigation, and parity among co-accused justified release on bail.

Petitioner's Arguments

  • There was no direct recovery of contraband/methanol from several appellants, and their role was peripheral compared to the main accused.
  • The tax invoices for methanol were legitimate commercial sale documents (inclusive of GST) reflecting a normal trade transaction, and did not by themselves establish criminal conspiracy or knowledge of illegal use.
  • There was no prior meeting or connivance between certain appellants (e.g., Rishab Jain) and the main accused (Sahab Singh and others).
  • Investigation was substantially complete, the challan had been filed, appellants had clean antecedents, and they had already spent a considerable period in custody.

Respondent's Arguments

  • The prosecution opposed bail citing the gravity of the offence — large-scale loss of life and physical disability caused by consumption of spurious liquor made from methanol, a poison.

Court Order / Findings

  • The Court, without commenting on the merits of the case, considered the nature of the allegations, the specific role attributed to each appellant, the absence of recovery from them, and the principle of parity among co-accused.
  • It held that the appellants had made out a case for the concession of bail.
  • All eight appellants were ordered to be released on bail on furnishing bail/surety bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court.
  • Conditions were imposed: no threat or influence over prosecution witnesses, and the bail would be deemed cancelled if the appellants were found indulging in similar activities in future.

Important Clarification

GST invoices in this case functioned only as evidence of a commercial supply chain in a serious criminal prosecution over spurious liquor — this order does not decide, interpret, or apply any provision of GST law. It should not be read or cited as GST case law; it is a bail order under the BNS, the Punjab Excise Act and the Poisons Act.

Sections Involved

  • Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — Sections 105, 103, 109, 61(2), 103(2), 123, 238.
  • Punjab Excise Act, 1914 — Sections 61(1), 61-A.
  • Poisons Act, 1919 — Section 6.
  • Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 — Sections 3 & 4.
  • Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 483 (bail application).

Decision – In Favour of

Bail was allowed in favour of all eight appellants, without any expression of opinion on the merits of the underlying criminal case, which will proceed to trial.

Case Details

  • Court: High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh
  • Case Nos.: CRA-S-2580-2025 (lead case) with CRA-S-3937-2025, CRA-S-4093-2025, CRA-S-82-2026, CRA-S-894-2026, CRA-S-834-2026, CRA-S-908-2026, CRA-S-912-2026
  • Coram: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Sanjay Vashisth
  • Date of Judgment: 17 April 2026

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