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2009 Supreme(Del) 562

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI
Honble Judges: Badar Durrez Ahmed and P.K. Bhasin, JJ.
Rajesh Sharma – Appellants
Vs.
Union of India (UOI) and Ors. – Respondent
WP (Crl) 326/2009
[Alongwith WP (Crl) 384/2009]
Decided On: 06.05.2009

Advocates appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: K.T.S. Tulsi, Sr. Adv., Sanjiv Kumar, S.S. Dass, S.K. Santoshi, Sumit Arora and Rohit Aggarwal, Advs.
For Respondents/Defendant:P.P. Malhotra, ASG, Satish Aggarwal, Shirish Aggarwal, Shankar Chabra, Advs. for Respondent No. 1 and Meera Bhatia, Adv. for Respondent No. 2

Headnote:Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 Section 3 - Illegal trading of diazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam and phenobarbitone -Export of the psychotropic - substances in question, not being part of Schedule-I to the NDPS Rules, would per se not amount to an activity prohibited under the NDPS Act read with the NDPS Rules - Question as to whether their alleged activity falls within the expression "illicit traffic" would be a debatable one - Detention orders set aside - Preventive detention is not punitive detention - It is not by way of a punishment - Any such detention has to be viewed with great circumspection because the liberty of an individual is taken away even before he is found guilty of having committed an offence by a court of law - Detention, quashed.

       

JUDGMENT

Badar Durrez Ahmed, J.

1. These petitions seeking the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus are directed against the detention orders passed against the petitioners in each of the petitions by the Joint Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi in purported exercise of powers conferred under Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 (hereinafter referred to as the PIT-NDPS Act"). The detention order in the case of the petitioner Rajesh Sharma in WP (CRL) 326/2009 was made on 27.02.2009, whereas the detention order in respect of the petitioner Nafe Singh in WP (CRL) 384/2009 was made on 13.03.2009.

2. Both Rajesh Sharma and Nafe Singh were arrested with other co-accused Diwakar Gupta and Amit Kohli on 06.05.2008 on the allegation that they had indulged in illegal trading of diazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam and phenobarbitone. These are all drugs specified in Schedule H to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. It is also an admitted position that they are psychotropic substances and are specified in the Schedule to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (hereinafter referred to as the NDPS Act). However, these substances are not mentioned in Schedule-I to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Rules, 1985 (hereinafter referred to as the NDPS Rules).

3. Both Rajesh Sharma and Nafe Singh applied for bail. Their bail applications were rejected by the learned Special Judge, NDPS, New Delhi on 31.10.2008. Thereafter, two of the co-accused, namely, Diwakar Gupta and Amit Kohli filed bail applications before this Court. However, the same were sought to be withdrawn on the submission that there was a change of circumstances, namely, that the investigation had been completed and that the learned Special Judge had not considered the decisions of the Supreme Court and of this Court in State of Uttaranchal v. Rajesh Kumar Gupta : (2007) 1 SCC 355 and Rajender Gupta v. The State 2005 3 AD (Cr.) 606, respectively, in the proper perspective. Consequently, liberty was granted to the said co-accused to move a fresh bail application before the learned Special Judge who was directed to deal with the aforesaid judgments in the correct perspective. The said order was of a learned Single Judge of this Court on 01.12.2008. Thereafter, the learned Special Judge, after considering the aforesaid decisions, granted bail to the co-accused Diwakar Gupta and Amit Kohli on 24.12.2008. This was followed by the grant of bail to the petitioners in these writ petitions, namely, Rajesh Sharma and Nafe Singh on 07.01.2009. On 09.02.2009, both Rajesh Sharma and Nafe Singh alongwith other co-accused persons entered appearance through their counsel in the applications filed by the respondent No. 2 (Narcotics Control Bureau) for cancellation of the bail granted to the said persons. While the cancellation of bail applications were pending before this Court, the aforesaid detention orders have been passed on the dates indicated above and both Rajesh Sharma and Nafe Singh were taken into custody and sent to jail where they are presently detained.

4. Mr K.T.S. Tulsi, the learned senior advocate, appearing on behalf of the petitioners, made a three-fold submission. First of all, according to him, the impugned orders of detention reflect total non-application of mind inasmuch as the order granting bail to the petitioners has not been considered in the proper perspective. He submitted that there was non-application of mind on the part of the detaining authority to the reasons contained in the orders granting bail to the petitioners, wherein the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of Rajesh Kumar Gupta (supra) was considered. Secondly, it was contended by Mr Tulsi that there is no basis for arriving at the satisfaction that export of the medicines / drugs referred to above would constitute "illicit trafficking" withi















































































































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