BHARATI DANGRE
Karishma Prakash – Appellant
Versus
Union of India – Respondent
Key Points: - The NDPS Act Section 37 originally made offences cognizable and non-bailable; later amendments restrict strict bail for certain sections (19, 24, 27A) and commercial quantity, not all offences (p_76, p_78, p_81, p_85, p_91–p_94) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) - Post-2001 amendments, the rigours of bail apply mainly to Sections 19, 24, 27A and commercial quantity; small-quantity offences may not be automatically non-bailable (p_97, p_101, p_51) (!) (!) (!) - Baldev Singh Constitution Bench held broad non-bailability, which conflictingly influenced later judgments (p_35, p_36, p_41, p_47) - Stefan Mueller and Rhea Chakraborty discuss whether all NDPS offences are non-bailable; dispute among High Courts about binding precedents (p_24, p_32, p_60, p_57) - The court in this judgment proposes to refer the matter to a larger Bench to decide if all NDPS offences are non-bailable (p_59, p_129) - Section 67 statements are discussed as admissible for investigation but may be inadmissible at trial per Toofan Singh, requiring corroboration (p_14, p_15, p_20)
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. applicant's apprehension of arrest. (Para 1 , 2) |
| 2. prosecution's case and background. (Para 3 , 4 , 5) |
| 3. involvement of the applicant revealed through statements. (Para 6 , 7 , 8 , 9) |
| 4. applicant's denial and explanations regarding contraband. (Para 10 , 11 , 12 , 13) |
| 5. arguments by both parties regarding admissibility. (Para 14 , 15) |
| 6. court's analysis on the need for custodial interrogation. (Para 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20) |
| 7. court confirms prior protection timelines. (Para 21 , 22) |
| 8. previous conflicting views addressed. (Para 23 , 24 , 25) |
| 9. details about specific cases and references. (Para 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34) |
| 10. emphasis placed on binding precedent. (Para 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40) |
| 11. discussing the legislative intent behind ndps. (Para 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47) |
| 12. conclusion on need for larger bench reference. (Para 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59) |
ORDER
1. The applicant is apprehending her arrest in connection with C.R. No.16 of 2020 instituted by the Narcotic Control Bureau ('NCB'), Mumbai Zone Unit, accusing her of committing offences punishable under Sections 8 (c), 20(b)(ii), 27A, 28 and 29 of Th
Frick India Ltd. Vs. Union of India & Ors. (1990) 1 SCC 400
Lala Shri Bhagwan Vs. Shri Ram Chand (1965) 3 SCR 218
Mahadeolal Kanodia Vs. Administrator General of West Bengal AIR 1960 SC 936
State of Bihar Vs. Kalika Kuer (2003) 5 SCC 448
Sundarjas Kanyalal Bhatija Vs. Collector, Thane
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