( 1 ) BOTH these criminal appeals under Section 374 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (for short, "the Code" hereinafter) are directed against the judgment and order dated 15-7-2003 passed by the Special Judge, NDPS Act Cases, hanumangarh (for short, "the trial Court" hereinafter) in Criminal case No. 17/2001, whereby the trial Court convicted both the appellants for the offence under Section 8/15 (C) of the Narcotic drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (for short, "the ndps Act" hereinafter) and sentenced each of them to undergo ten years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1,00,000/-, in default of payment of fine further to undergo six months rigorous imprisonment. Aggrieved by the judgment and order impugned, convicting and sentencing the appellants, both the appellants have filed the afore-mentioned appeals.

( 2 ) BRIEFLY stated, the facts, to the extent they are relevant and necessary for decision of these two appeals are that on 26-9-2001, PW 1 Ranjit Singh, Station House Officer, Police station, Rawatsar, along with PW 7 Sant Kumar, PW 8 babrubhan, Mubarak Ali, Rajendra Singh, Begraj and driver Ravi darshan, while holding a Nakabandi at 11:45 P