JUDGMENT :

This Criminal Appeal is filed by the appellants A1, A3 to A6 aggrieved by the judgment dated 07.01.2013 in NDPS SC.No.11 of 2011 passed by the Special Judge for Trial of Cases under NDPS Act cum I Additional Sessions Judge, Adilabad District in convicting them for the offence under Section 20(b)(ii)(c) of the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act (for short “NDPS” Act), 1985 and sentencing them to rigorous imprisonment for a period of ten (10) years each and to pay a fine of Rs.1,00,000/- each, in default of payment of fine to suffer simple imprisonment for a period of six (06) months each.

2. The case of the prosecution in brief was that, A1 was a resident of Vanjariguda Village of Sirpur(U) Mandal. He used to collect ganja from the villagers of surrounding villages and with the support of A2 to A6, was transporting ganja from Vanjariguda to Parbhani of Maharashtra State with the help of A2 who was acquainted with smugglers there in Parbhani and had command over that area. A1 purchased ganja from A4 by name Babu, and A6 by name Mohan, of the same village and also from surrounding villages and stored the same in his house at Vanjariguda. On 27.01.2011, in the early