Criminal Law – Statutory Bail – Sections 167(2) CrPC and 36A(4) of the NDPS Act – Whether the accused is entitled to statutory bail under Section 167(2) of the CrPC in light of the failure to complete the investigation within the prescribed time frame – Held, the petitioner is entitled to statutory bail, as the final report has not been filed within 90 days, and the contrab...
NDPS Act – Conviction and Sentence – Recovery of poppy husk – Appellants not apprehended at the scene – Identification issues – Procedural lapses – Independent witness not examined – Case property not produced – Appeals allowed, conviction and sentence set aside [Paras 1-16].
Adverse Inference – Case property destruction due to flo...
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), 1985 – Application for Extension of Investigation Time and Denial of Default Bail – High Court dismisses petitions challenging the extension of time for investigation under Section 36A of the NDPS Act and the denial of default bail under Section 167(2) of the Cr.P.C. – Accused involved in the conspiracy to transport Methamphe...
Bail – NDPS Act – Procedural Non-compliance – Petitioner charged under NDPS Act for possession of commercial quantity of contraband opium – Petitioner argued non-compliance with Sections 50 and 52A, raising questions about the legality of the search and the admissibility of evidence – Court found merit in the arguments, stating that procedural lapses, including failur...
Narcotics Law – Conviction based on recovery of 'Charas' – Non-support by independent witnesses – Evidence from official witnesses – Weight of Evidence – The appellants were convicted under Sections 20 and 29 of the NDPS Act based on the recovery of 1.5 kg of 'Charas'. Independent witnesses turned hostile, but the court held that non-support by indepen...
Criminal Procedure – Default Bail – Prosecution's Failure to File Challan – Revision petition against denial of default bail under Section 167(2) Cr.P.C. and Section 36A(4) NDPS Act – Petitioner arrested with 1 kg 800 grams of charas – Investigation not completed within 180 days – Extension of 90 days granted but later set aside – Petitioner entitled t...
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act – Non-compliance with Section 57 – Appeal against Conviction – Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, Section 374 – NDPS Act, 1985, Sections 15, 57 – Appellant convicted for possession of 800 kg of poppy straw – Non-compliance with Section 57 claimed – Held, non-compliance with Section 57 does not vitiate the prose...
Criminal Law – Bail – NDPS Act – Petition for regular bail under Section 439 Cr.P.C. – Recovery of 295 grams of heroin not effected from the petitioner – Petitioner arrested based on the disclosure statement of co-accused – Recovery from petitioner is 35 grams, less than the commercial quantity of 250 grams – Co-accused already granted regular bail –...
Criminal Law – NDPS Act – Bail – Conscious Possession – Recovery of narcotics from a polythene bag thrown on the ground by the petitioner when the police approached – Bail granted – Court found it debatable whether the petitioner was in conscious possession of the contraband – The petitioner was not involved in any other case, and all prosecution witnesses...
NDPS Act - Non-Compliance of Section 50 - Appeal against Conviction - Recovery from Cloth Bag - Section 50 not applicable to non-personal search - Conviction under Section 18 upheld. [Para 10]
Witness Credibility - Absence of Independent Witnesses - Statements of Official Witnesses - Genuineness of Prosecution Case - No false implication motive attributed - Testimonies of official wit...