Government of Gujarat vs Apsingbhai Navalsingbhai Patel — 4067/2025

The court dropped all criminal proceedings against the accused for alleged violations of the Gujarat Prohibition Act and Motor Vehicles Act, finding that the investigating officer illegally initiated investigation into non-cognizable offences without obtaining mandatory prior permission from the competent magistrate. The court held that the 2017 amendment to the Gujarat Prohibition Act reclassified these offences as non-cognizable (maximum punishment under six months), and the conditional arrest power under the Motor Vehicles Act does not alter their non-cognizable nature, making the entire investigation vitiated and cognizance impossible. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.