Government of Gujarat vs Narvatbhai Ramabhai Baria — 4101/2025

The court dropped criminal proceedings against the accused for liquor consumption under Section 66(1)(b) of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949, holding that the investigating officer illegally initiated investigation without prior Magistrate's permission. The court reasoned that the 2017 Amendment deleted the provision classifying the offense as cognizable, making it non-cognizable under CrPC/BNSS (maximum punishment under six months), and therefore investigation required mandatory Magistrate's authorization, which was absent. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.