JUDGMENT :

The petitioners (original accused) are aggrieved by an order dated 23/07/2021, passed by the Court of Additional Sessions Judge-7, Nagpur (hereinafter referred to as the “Sessions Court”), whereby two applications for calling additional witnesses have been allowed. The petitioners further claim that the Sessions Court could not have allowed the prosecution to file supplementary charge-sheets on 24/06/2021 and 15/07/2021, since the trial had already begun and twelve witnesses already stood examined.

2. In the present case, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the petitioners for offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) read with Schedule 26 of the Drug Prices Control Order 2013, read with provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, as also the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The FIR was registered on 18/04/2021 and charge-sheet was filed on 03/05/2021. In the charge-sheet, it was claimed that the petitioners were liable to be prosecuted for offences under Sections 420, 188, 381 read with 34 of the IPC, as also Sections 18(c), 27(b)(ii) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Sections 3 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. The petitioners