JUDGMENT :

SONIA GOKANI, J.

1. This is a successive application by the applicant-original accused No. 2, seeking regular bail in connection with the offence, registered as Prohibition C.R. No. 216 of 1996 with Palanpur City Police Station, under Sections 120-B, 119, 116, 167, 182, 193, 195, 199, 200, 211, 353 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and Sections 17, 58(2), 59(1) (b) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (in brief ‘NDPS Act’ which culminated into Special NDPS Case No. 3 of 2018, pending before the Court of the learned Special Judge, Banaskantha at Palanpur.

2. The facts in capsulized form are as under:

2.1 On 30.04.1996, at about 06:10 a.m. the District Control Room, Palanpur, received an information that one Mr. Sumer Singh Rajpurohit is doing the business of opium and has brought 5 kgs. of opium and is staying at Lajwanti Hotel, Palanpur, and the delivery of the opium is to be given in Palanpur. Aforesaid information was reduced into writing in the register vide Entry No. 360 and the investigation of the same was handed over to one Mr. I.B. Vyas, PI, Local Crime Branch, LCB (LCB in short). Thereafter, on the basis of the said information, Mr. Vyas carried