Once prosperous, Punjab on the brink due to drug menace: High Court

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, February 17

Bringing to the fore drug menace in the state even as political parties, in a run-up to the Assembly polls, are promising to eliminate it, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that Punjab — once known as one of the prosperous states — was on the brink. The assertion came as the High Court called for dealing stringently with the accused even at the stage of granting a bail in drug cases involving commercial quantity.

The assertion by Justice Harnaresh Singh Gill of the High Court came on a petition filed against the State of Punjab by an accused for regular bail in a case registered on June 2, 2020, at Dina Nagar police station in Gurdaspur under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Among other things, his counsel contended that “intoxicating capsules” were allegedly recovered from an envelope from a co-accused. It was “near” the back seat of a car occupied by the co-accused. As such, it could not be said the petitioner was in conscious possession of the intoxicating tablets. Besides, he was in custody for last over eight months.

The State counsel, on the other hand, opposed the bail plea by submitting that the alleged recovery fell under commercial quantity and Section 37 of the NDPS Act barred the grant of bail to an accused in such cases. The State counsel added the petitioner was also involved in another FIR under the provisions of the NDPS Act, wherein he stood released on bail.

Dismissing the plea, Justice Gill said a regular bail could pave the way for his involvement in another such case.

Petitioner’s contention

The counsel for petitioner, seeking regular bail, contended that ‘intoxicating capsules’ were allegedly recovered from an envelope from a co-accused.