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2001 Supreme(Raj) 12

High Court Of Rajasthan
Judgename : Sunil Kumar Garg
Narayan - Appellant
Versus
State of Rajasthan - Respondent
Civil Appeal No. 368 of 2000
Decided On : 01/05/2001

Advocates Appeared:
Mr. R. S. Rathore, for the Appellant.
Mr. R.K. Soni, Public Prosecutor for the Respondents.

Headnote:

NDPS Act - Appeal against conviction under Section 8/18 - Section 8, Section 18 - The court discussed the compliance of Section 50 and Section 42(2) of the NDPS Act. It held that non-compliance of these provisions would vitiate the entire trial. The court also highlighted the importance of cross-examination in a criminal trial and the conflicting testimonies of witnesses. The prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to the acquittal of the accused appellant.

Fact of the Case:

The accused appellant was convicted for the offence under Section 8/18 of the NDPS Act based on the recovery of contraband opium. The appeal was filed against the judgment and sentence passed by the Special Judge, NDPS Cases, Jodhpur.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the prosecution failed to comply with the mandatory provisions of Section 50 and Section 42(2) of the NDPS Act. It also emphasized the conflicting testimonies of witnesses and the importance of cross-examination in a criminal trial. As a result, the court acquitted the accused appellant due to the failure of the prosecution to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Issues: Non-compliance of Section 50 and Section 42(2) of the NDPS Act, conflicting testimonies of witnesses, and the importance of cross-examination in a criminal trial.

Ratio Decidendi: The court held that non-compliance of mandatory provisions of the NDPS Act would vitiate the entire trial. It emphasized the significance of cross-examination in a criminal trial and the conflicting testimonies of witnesses, leading to the failure of the prosecution to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Final Decision: The appeal filed by the accused appellant was allowed, and the judgment and sentence passed by the Special Judge, NDPS Cases, Jodhpur were set aside. The accused appellant was acquitted of the charge under Section 8/18 of the NDPS Act.

Judgment

Sunil Kumar Garg, J.-This is an appeal by the accused appellant against the Judgment dated 10-7-2000 and order of sentence dated 13-7-2000 passed by the learned Special Judge, NDPS Cases, Jodhpur in Sessions Case No. 38/98 by which he convicted the accused appellant for the offence under Section 8/18 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (hereinafter referred to as the NDPS Act’) and sentenced him to undergo ten years’ Rigorous Imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs. one lac, in default of payment of fine, to further undergo RI for two and half years.

.2. The facts giving rise to this appeal, in short, are as follows :On 7-6-1998 at about 6-15 p.m., P.W. 8 Mohanlal, SHO, Police Station Kotwali, Pali City registered the FIR No. 196/98 (Ex. P112) stating inter-alia that on 7-6-1998 at about 2-05 p.m. he received a secret information from Mukhbir to the effect that in Ashapura Tea Stall, which is situated on the main mandiya road, Pali, a boy aged about 20-22 years of fair colour deals in the business of purchasing and selling of illegal contraband opium. He reduced the said information into writing in Ex. P/9 to make the compliance of Section 42(1) of the NDPS Act and, thereafter, he along with other police officials, namely, PW 2 Man Singh, SI, PW. 1 Nijukhan, ASI and Om Karan, FC proceeded towards the spot in a Government Jeep and reached there at 2-25 p.m., where they saw one person running, but he was apprehended and on being asked, he told his name as Narayan (present accused-appellant). Thereafter, PW. 8 Mohanlal through notice Ex. P/i called two motbirs, namely, PW. 3 Talib and P.W. 4 Abdul Hameed. It is further stated in that report that a notice (Ex. P/2) under Section 50 of the NDPS Act was also given by PW. 8 Mohanlal to the accused appellant and upon this, he gave consent that his search could be made by PW. 8 Mohanlal and the fard of consent is Ex. P/3. Thereafter, the accused appellant was searched and on search, a bag, which was put by the accused appellant on his right shoulder, was recovered and on opening the said bag, plastic packets containing black substance were found and on being tasted, it was found to be contraband opium. Thereafter, it was weighed and its weight was found to be 1 kg. 250 grms., out of which, two samples of 30 grms, each were taken and they were sealed on the spot and marked as S-i and S-2 and the remaining opium i.e. 1kg. 190 grms. was also sealed on the spot and marked as “A”. The fard of search and seizure was prepared by PW. 8 Mohanlal and the same is Ex. P/4.

.Since the accused appellant did not possess any valid license for keeping the opium, therefore, he has committed offence under Section 8/18 of the NDPS Act. The accused appellant was arrested through Ex. P/b. Thereafter, the articles recovered from the accused appellant were handed over by PW. 8 Mohanlal to PW. 5 Punam Singh, who deposited the same in the Malkhana and made entries in the Malkhana Register and the copy of Mallthana Register is Ex. P/6. Thereafter, vide letter dated 8-6-1998 (Ex. P/14), one sample S-l was sent to SP Office, Pali for sending it to FSL, Jaipur for chemical analysis and from SP Office, Pali, the sample S-i was sent to FSL, Jaipur along with forwarding letter Ex. P/iS through PW. 10 Dilip Singh. The receipt of depositing the sample in FSL, Jaipur is Ex. P/8 and the report of FSL is Ex. P/17. From the FSL report Ex. P/ 17, it appears that sample S-i gave positive tests for the presence of chief constituents of coagulated juice of opium poppy having 5.89% (five point eighty-nine percent) morphine. After usual investigation, the police submitted challan against the accused appellant for the offence under Section 8/18 of the NDPS Act. On 27-10-1998, the learned Special Judge, NDPS Cases, Jodhpur framed charge against the accused appellant for the offence under Section 8/18 of the NDPS Act. The charge was read over and explained to the accused appellant. The appellant denied































































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