IMPORTANT POINT
Non-compliance with provisions of Section 42(2) of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 vitiates prosecution case.

JUDGMENT

Harjit Singh Bedi, J. —

This appeal arises out of the following facts.

1. At about 4 p.m. on the 30th January 1997, PW-6 Inspector Kuldip Singh of the CIA Staff, Hisar sent Ruqa Ex. PG to Police Station Bhuna that while he was present at the Bus Adda of village Bhuna in connection with the investigation of a case, he had received secret information that the appellant Rajinder Singh @ Chhinder, was an opium addict and also dealing in its sale, and that he had kept some opium in the shed used for storing fodder in his farm house, and if raid was organized, the opium could be recovered. On the basis of the aforesaid Ruqa, a formal First Information Report was drawn up for an offence punishable under Section 18 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (hereinafter called the “Act”). A wireless message was also sent to the DSP, Fatehabad PW-5 Charanjit Singh to reach the spot. The effort of the police party, however, to join some independent witnesses from the public was unsuccessful. In the meanwhile, PW-5 also reached that place and the police party made its way to the farm house of the appellant. The lock on the fodder room was opened after taking the key from the appellant and searched which led to the recovery of 3.500 kilograms of opium. 50 grams was taken out for sampling and the remainder of the opium was sealed. The appellant was also arrested by the DSP and after completion of the investigation, was charged under Section 18 of the Act and was accordingly brought to trial. The prosecution placed almost exclusive reliance on the statements of PW-5 Charanjit Singh DSP and PW-6 Kuldip Singh Inspector as also the recovery of the opium from the residence of the appellant. In his statement under Section 313 of the Cr.P.C. the appellant admitted that he had already been convicted by the Additional Sessions Judge, Hisar on the 15th March 1997 for having been found in possession of 14 Kilograms of Heroin, though an appeal had been filed against the conviction. He also stated that he was on bail in that appeal. The trial court relying on the aforesaid evidence and circumstances held that the case against the appellant had been proved beyond doubt and merely because no independent witness had been associated with the proceedings could not be taken against the prosecution as an effort had been made to associate some witness, but no one agreed to the police request. The court also found that the provisions of Sections 52, 55 and 57 of the Act had been complied with and no prejudice could, therefore, be claimed by the appellant. The court further observed that it was clear from the evidence of PWs.5 and 6 that the provisions of Section 42 of the Act had been complied with as the secret information received by PW-6 had been recorded by him in a Ruqa which had been sent to the Police Station for registration of a FIR and that he had also informed PW-5 on wireless about the information received by him on which the latter had reached the place of search and seizure. The trial court further noted that as the appellant was a previous convict, a lenient view could not be taken in his case. He was accordingly sentenced to undergo 20 years RI and to pay a fine of Rs.2,00,000/- and in default of payment of fine to undergo RI for 2 years. The judgment of the trial court had been confirmed in appeal by the High Court leading to the present proceedings before us.

2. Mr. Zafar Sadiqui, the learned counsel for the appellant, has made four submissions during the course of the hearing. He has first submitted that as the provisions of Section 42(2) of the Act had not been complied with, the conviction of the appellant could not be sustained in the light of the judgment of the Constitution Bench of this Court in Karnail Singh vs. State of Haryana1 (2009) 8 SCC 539. He has further submitted that no serious effort had been made to associate an independent witness with the search and seizure and that the link evidence in the case