ORDER :

1. Dated this the 16th day of March 2021 Application for anticipatory bail under Section 438 of the Cr.P.C.

2. The applicant is the sole accused in Crime No.95/2020 of Ranni Excise Range Office for having allegedly committed an offence punishable under Sections 55(i) and 67Bof the Kerala Abkari Act.

3. The prosecution case, in brief, is that on 01/11/2020 at about 5:30 PM, the Excise officers on patrol duty intercepted the applicant and found him involved in the sale of some liquor to another person for consideration. On seeing the Excise party, the applicant took to his heels. Inspecting the autorickshaw, 3.3 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor was recovered from the autorickshaw bearing registration No. KL-27-9022. The contraband was seized and the crime registered. The applicant could not be apprehended. The applicant apprehends arrest and hence approaches this Court for pre-arrest bail. The applicant states that the allegations are not true and that he has been falsely implicated.

4. Heard the learned counsel for the applicant Sri.V Sethunath and the learned Public Prosecutor, Smt. V. Sreeja. Records perused.

5. The learned Prosecutor submits that in view of the embargo und