Government of Gujarat vs Karanbhai Tersingbhai Baria — 4110/2025

Case Summary The court dropped the criminal proceedings against the accused charged under Section 66(1)(b) of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949 (liquor consumption). The court found that the 2017 Amendment deleted the provision making all offences cognizable, thereby reclassifying the offense as non-cognizable (maximum punishment under 3 years). Since the investigating officer failed to obtain prior magistrate permission as mandated by Section 155(2) CrPC before investigation, the investigation was deemed illegal and vitiated, rendering the charge-sheet inadmissible. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.