Panchkula man gets 10-yr RI in NDPS case

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 3

A court has sentenced Lal Singh, a resident of Indira Colony, Panchkula, to undergo 10-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) after convicting him under Section 22 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The court also imposed a fine of Rs1 lakh on the convict.

The police had arrested Lal Singh on September 9, 2019, near Mauli Jagran with a carry bag. After checking the carry bag, the police recovered 30 strips of simplex (c+) tramadol hydrochloride, dicyclomine hydrochloride and chlorpheniramine meleate capsules and 80 strips of spasmo-proxyvon plus dicyclomine hydrochloride, tramadol hydrochloride and acetaminaphen capsules.

The police claimed that the accused failed to produce any valid permit or licence for the capsules, which fall under the commercial quantity.

After investigation, the police presented a chargesheet against the accused in the court. Charges were framed against the accused, to which he pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.

The counsel for the accused claimed that he was falsely implicated in the case. The prosecution examined 10 witnesses.

The public prosecutor argued that since commercial quantity of the banned drugs was recovered from the accused, he deserved no leniency. He demanded that deterrent punishment be awarded to the convict.

After hearing the arguments, Jaibir Singh, Judge, Special Court, Chandigarh, convicted the accused under Section 22 of the NDPS Act and sentenced him to undergo 10-years RI and also imposed a fine of Rs1 lakh on him.

The court said the period of custody undergone by the convict during investigation and the trial of the case would be set off against the substantive sentence awarded to him.