Bhaskar Kumar @ Chandan Kumar v. The State of Bihar
Case brief
What is this about?
Patna High Court, Criminal Miscellaneous No.6372 of 2026, decided 15-04-2026 by Purnendu Singh, J. Pre-arrest bail application in Dumra P.S. Case No.516/2025 (Sitamarhi) under Sections 126(2), 115(2), 64, 308(2), 308(3), 352, 351(2), 3(5) BNS. Court directed mediation-first approach (Mediation 2.0) via District Mediation Centre, granted three-month interim protection from coercive action, made release on pre-arrest bail conditional on amicable settlement or failure to reconcile, required withdrawal of cross-cases on settlement, and relied on State of U.P. v. Anirudh, 2026 LiveLaw(SC)29 on consensual relationship as a relevant bail factor. Keywords: anticipatory/pre-arrest bail, BNS 2023, mediation, interim protection, extortion and obscene material allegations, Sitamarhi, Bihar.
What did the court decide?
Application disposed of with directions: matter referred to District Mediation Centre (appearance fixed for 04.05.2026); interim protection from coercive action for three months pending the Mediator's report; conditional release on pre-arrest bail on terms to be fixed by the learned District Court upon amicable settlement or upon failure to reconcile; interim protection lapses automatically if the petitioner fails to appear; parties to withdraw cross-cases upon settlement; copy of order to be communicated to BSLSA, Patna High Court Mediation Centre and DLSA Sitamarhi.