Ganpat Prabhakar Mainkar vs State of Maharashtra Through ps Inspector State Excise Gadhinglaj Advocate - A. P. P. — 14/2026

Case Summary: 14/2026 Court Decision: The court granted Ganpat Prabhakar Mainkar's petition for interim custody of his seized Santro vehicle (registration MH-08-C-4360) against the State Excise Department's objections. The petitioner was ordered to deposit Rs. 4,00,000 as security and furnish photographs of the vehicle with the charge sheet, with the condition that the vehicle cannot be used in any other criminal case or the security amount would be forfeited. Key Reasoning: The court found that the vehicle's photographs could serve as sufficient evidence, making interim custody appropriate under the precedent of *Sundarbhai Desai v. Gujarat State*. The court rejected the excise department's argument that vehicle custody was necessary for investigation, noting no confiscation proceedings were initiated and considering the petitioner's demonstrated ownership and willingness to comply with court conditions. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.