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2014 Supreme(P&H) 813

IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH
M. JEYAPAUL, J.
Paramjit Singh Chahal - Petitioner
versus
State of Punjab - Respondent
Crl. M. No.8339-M of 2014
Crl. M. No.8519-M of 2014
Crl. M. No.8516-M of 2014
Decided on: 22-3-2014

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared
Mr. Vikram Chaudhri, Sr. Advocate, with Mr. H.S.Ahluwalia, Advocate, for the petitioner, in Crl.Misc. Nos. M-8339, M-8519 and M-8516 of 2014.
Mr. A.S.Grewal, Additional Advocate General, Punjab, and Mr. Premjit Singh Hundal, AAG Punjab

Headnote:

Bail - Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act - Sections 379, 411, 473, 120-B IPC, 21, 22, 27, 29 of the NDPS Act - 21, 25A, 37 of the NDPS Act

Fact of the Case:

The judgment disposes of three bail applications related to grant of bail in two FIRs under Sections 379, 411, 473, 120-B IPC and Sections 21, 22, 27, 29 of the NDPS Act. The petitioners, involved in pharmaceutical units, were accused of drug trafficking. The court granted interim bail considering the petitioners' pharmaceutical licenses and procedural violations in the investigation.

Finding of the Court:

The court found procedural violations and doubted the genuineness of the recovery of drugs. It held that the petitioners' pharmaceutical units had appropriate licenses and that the embargo under Section 37 of the NDPS Act was not attracted. The court allowed the bail applications, emphasizing that the observations were prima facie and not an expression on the merits of the case.

Issues: Procedural violations, genuineness of drug recovery, pharmaceutical licenses, and applicability of Section 37 of the NDPS Act.

Ratio Decidendi: The court's decision was influenced by the procedural violations, doubts about drug recovery, and the petitioners' possession of valid pharmaceutical licenses. It also considered the non-applicability of Section 37 of the NDPS Act and the absence of adverse antecedents for the petitioners.

Final Decision: The court allowed the bail applications, directing the petitioners to be admitted to bail to the satisfaction of the trial Court concerned, with strict conditions and a provision for recall of the order in case of bail condition violations.

Judgment

M. JEYAPAUL, J:

1. This order shall dispose of three bail applications bearing Nos. Crl.M-8339 of 2014 filed by Paramjit Singh Chahal, Crl. M-8519 of 2014 and Crl. M-8516 of 2014 filed by Jagjit Singh Chahal.

2. While the first two petitions relate to grant of bail in FIR No. 56 dated 15.5.2013 under Sections 379, 411, 473 and 120-B IPC and Sections 21 and 22 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (hereinafter referred to as the Act) at Police Station Banur, District Patiala, the last petition relates to prayer for bial in FIR No. 109 dated 24.12.2013 at Police Station Lambra, District Jalandhar, under Sections 21, 27 and 29 of the Act.

3. While petitioner Jagjit Singh Chahal is seeking bail having been in incarceration for the last more than four months, petitioner Paramjit Singh Chahal physically surrendered before this Court on 6.3.2014 by relying upon a judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Niranjan Singh and another v. Prabhakar Rajaram Kharote and others, (1980) 2 Supreme Court Cases 559 and Bharat Maratha v. State of Maharashtra, 2008 BCR 516. This Court accepted the surrender and issued notice to the State upon which learned Assistant Advocate General, Punjab, appearing for the State, fairly conceded that this Court had ample jurisdiction to accept the surrender and deal with the petition appropriately.

4. On 6.3.2014, it was urged on behalf of the petitioner Paramjit Singh Chahal that he and his brother were inter-alia running pharmaceutical units in Himachal Pradesh and that the police had indulged in an abuse of process of law by implicating and arresting his brother. He had urged that his brother had already approached this Court vide Civil Writ Petition No. 88 of 2014 seeking investigation by an independent agency like CBI and vide order dated 9.1.2014, a co-ordinate Bench of this Court issued notice of motion to the State. The said petitioner relies upon the judgments of the Hon'ble Apex Court in Mukesh Kishanpuria v. State of West Bengal, 2010(2) RCR (Criminal) 830 and Sukhwant Singh v. State of Punjab, (2009)7 Supreme Court Cases 559, to contend that in the power to grant bail, there is an inherent power in the Court to grant interim bail to a person, pending final disposal of the bail application. It was also observed that such interim release on bail will have to be considered on the date of filing itself.

5. Considering the prima-facie submissions on behalf of the petitioner Paramjit Singh Chahal that his name did not find a mention in the FIR; no recovery has been effected from him; his brother who was in custody has sought CBI investigation by way of a writ petition and that he and his brother have been running pharmaceutical units after getting proper licence from the Authorities concerned, this Court vide order dated 6.3.2014 granted interim bail to the said petitioner while directing him to surrender his passport and appear before the police station concerned every day at a stipulated time. Relying upon the ratio of the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Birendra Kumar Pandey and Another v. Union of India and Another, Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 28 of 2012 decided on 16.4.2012, as also in the light of Section 410 Cr.P.C., this Court further directed that interrogation of petitioner Paramjit Singh Chahal would take place in the visible presence of an Advocate of his choice.

6. The allegations forming the basis of arrest of the petitioner in case FIR No. 56 (supra), as culled out from the detailed reply by way of affidavit of Chand Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rajpura, are as under:-

(i) On the basis of a secret information that two persons, namely, Satinder @ Dhama and Baljinder Singh @ Sonu are moving in a stolen car with false registration number and are in possession of Pseudoephedrine etc., a naka was laid leading to the apprehension of the said persons along with 500 grams of Methamphetamine (ICE). Accordingly, FIR No. 56 supra was registered.

(ii) D





































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