Patna High Court denies bail in Rs 1.95 lakh fake currency case

The Patna High Court denied Md Waris bail in a counterfeit currency case. The judges cited serious allegations while directing the trial court to expedite proceedings.

In Short

• Police arrested Waris and two aides in East Champaran district
• Officers allegedly seized counterfeit notes carrying Rs 1.95 lakh face value
• The accused allegedly described repeated consignments routed through Nepal from Pakistan

The Patna High Court has rejected the bail plea of a man arrested with counterfeit currency notes in Bihar, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

The court upheld a special National Investigation Agency court's decision to deny bail to Md Waris, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the severity of the punishment for the alleged offences.

A Division Bench of Justices Rajeev Ranjan Prasad and Sunil Datta Mishra dismissed Waris's appeal on October 14. Waris, a resident of Bhojpur district, had challenged the order passed by the NIA court in Patna.

According to PTI, Waris was arrested along with his aides Saddam and Jakir Hussain in East Champaran district on September 5, 2024. The three were travelling on a motorcycle without a number plate.

Police allegedly recovered counterfeit currency notes with a face value of Rs 1.95 lakh from them. During questioning, they confessed to having “transported counterfeit notes many times, from Pakistan via Nepal, to one Sarfaraz alias Muzaffar Ahmad in Jammu and Kashmir”.

The case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency a few months later.

The High Court refused to interfere with the trial court's order, “keeping in view the seriousness of the allegations and the severity of the punishment attached to the offences alleged”.

Waris's counsel argued that he had been in jail for a little over two years. The court, however, said this “cannot be said to be an inordinate period of incarceration”.

The High Court directed the lower court to expedite the trial and hold hearings “on a day-to-day basis unless it becomes imperative to adjourn the matter for a cogent reason”.

While denying Waris bail in the counterfeit currency case, the High Court asked the trial court to conduct the proceedings quickly and avoid adjournments without a valid reason.

- Ends