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Rajasthan High Court - Jodhpur
Rupendra Singh Ranawat vs State Of Rajasthan (2026:Rj-Jd:14163) on 25 March, 2026
Author: Kuldeep Mathur
Bench: Kuldeep Mathur
[2026:RJ-JD:14163]
HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN AT
JODHPUR
S.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 4752/2026
Rupendra Singh Ranawat S/o Shyam Singh Ranawat, Aged About
45 Years, R/o Village Post Narela Tehsil And District Chittorgarh,
Rajasthan.
----Petitioner
Versus
1. State Of Rajasthan, Through The Department Of Home,
Jaipur, Rajasthan.
2. State Of Rajasthan, Through The Secretary (Excise),
Govt. Of Rajasthan, Secretariat, Jaipur.
3. Station House Officer, Police Station Basrehar, Etawah,
Uttar Pradesh. (206253).
4. Branch Mananger / Nodal Officer, AU Small Finance Bank,
Branch Chittorgarh, Narela, Chittorgarh. (IFSC Code
AUBL0002233).
----Respondents
For Petitioner(s) : Mr. Priyanshu Gopa
Mr. Shreyash Ramdev
For Respondent(s) : Mr. Gaurav Bishnoi for
Mr. Mahaveer Bishnoi, AAG
Mr. Rajendra Singh Rathore
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE KULDEEP MATHUR
Order
25/03/2026
By way of filing the present writ petition, the petitioner has
prayed for the following reliefs:-
"It is, therefore, humbly prayed that the present Writ
Petition may kindly be allowed and by an appropriate order
or direction-
(i) By an appropriate writ, order, or direction, the
respondent No. 04 may kindly be directed to de-freeze the
AU Current Account- Maximum bank account no.
2121223332567251 of the petitioner in AU Small Finance
Bank, Branch Chittorgarh, Narela, Chittorgarh. (IFSC Code
AUBL0002233)
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(ii) By an appropriate writ, order, or direction, the
respondent No.03 may kindly be directed to issue an NOC to
the petitioner/bank to unfreeze the bank account of the
petitioner.
(iii) Any other order or direction which this Hon'ble Court
deems just and proper may kindly be passed in favour of the
petitioner.
(iv) Cost of the writ petition may kindly be awarded to the
petitioner."
2. Learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the
petitioner, who is engaged in the liquor trade, operates a current
account (bearing No. 2121223332567251) with AU Small Finance
Bank, Branch Chittorgarh, Narela, Chittorgarh. The grievance of
the petitioner is that an amount of Rs. 53,45,177/- lying in the
said account has been frozen on the ground that the Excise
Inspector, Circle Chittorgarh, District Chittorgarh, vide
communication dated 06.03.2025, directed the bank authorities to
freeze the account so as to enable the Excise Department to
recover the aforesaid amount from the petitioner towards alleged
dues.
3. Learned counsel further submitted that the petitioner, who
was operating a liquor shop under a valid licence, was served with
a notice dated 23.05.2023 issued by the office of the District
Excise Officer, Chittorgarh, alleging certain irregularities. The said
notice dated 23.05.2023 was challenged by the petitioner by way
of S.B. CWP No. 14667/2023 before this Court. This Court, after
hearing the petitioner, vide order dated 27.09.2023, stayed the
effect and operation of the notice dated 23.05.2023. It is
submitted that the said writ petition is still pending adjudication
before this Court.
4. Learned counsel further submitted that the respondent-
District Excise Officer, Chittorgarh, vide letter dated 24.08.2024,
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requested the petitioner to avail the benefit of the ongoing Excise
Amnesty Scheme, 2024, to settle the dispute; however, the
petitioner chose not to avail the said scheme and opted to contest
the matter before this Court.
5. It is further submitted that during the pendency of S.B. CWP
No. 14667/2023 and the subsistence of the interim order dated
27.09.2023, there was no occasion for the respondent-Excise
Department to request or direct AU Small Finance Bank to freeze
the petitioner's bank account for recovery of the alleged dues.
6. Learned counsel appearing for the respondent-Bank was not
in a position to dispute the fact that the petitioner's bank account
has been frozen at the instance of the Excise Department for
recovery of the amount indicated in the communication dated
06.08.2025.
7. Learned counsel appearing for the Excise Department, upon
being queried, was also not in a position to dispute that the
interim order dated 27.09.2023 passed by this Court in S.B. CWP
No. 14667/2023 is still in operation. He submitted that the
communication issued by the Department to the bank for freezing
the petitioner's account appears to have been issued in ignorance
of the said interim order.
8. In view of the aforesaid factual position, and considering that
the amount of Rs. 53,45,177/- sought to be recovered from the
petitioner by the respondent-Excise Department cannot be
permitted to be recovered in light of the order dated 05.08.2025
passed by this Court in S.B. CWP No. 4806/2025, this Court
deems it just and proper to dispose of the present writ petition
with a direction to the respondent-Bank to forthwith defreeze the
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[2026:RJ-JD:14163] (4 of 4) [CW-4752/2026]
petitioner's current account (bearing No. 2121223332567251) and
permit the petitioner to operate the same, including the amount of
Rs. 53,45,177/- lying therein, which had been frozen pursuant to
the directions of the Excise Department.
9. The present writ petition, along with the stay petition, stands
disposed of accordingly.
(KULDEEP MATHUR),J
227-divya/-
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