IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, SHIMLA Cr. MP (M) Nos. 1034 & 1035 of 2025 Reserved on: 26.05.2025 Cr. MP(M) No.1201 of 2025 Reserved on 30.05.2025.

Date of Decision: 05.06.2025.

1. Cr.MP(M) No. 1034 of 2025 Naveen Chauhan ...Petitioner Versus State of Himachal Pradesh ...Respondent

2. Cr.MP(M) No. 1035 of 2025 Rajan Mehta ...Petitioner Versus State of Himachal Pradesh ...Respondent

3. Cr.MP(M) No. 1201 of 2025 Mohit Aggarwal ...Petitioner Versus State of Himachal Pradesh ...Respondent Coram Hon’ble Mr Justice Rakesh Kainthla, Judge.

Whether approved for reporting?¹ No.

For the Petitioner(s) : Mr. N.S. Chandel, Senior Advocate, with Mr. Digvijay Singh, Advocate,

1 Whether reporters of Local Papers may be allowed to see the judgment? Yes.

in Cr.MP(M) Nos. 1034 & 1035 of

2025.

Mr. Vinod Kumar Thakur & Mr. Raman Sharma, Advocates, in Cr.MP(M) No.1201 of 2025.

For the Respondents/ State : Mr Lokender Kutlehria, Additional Advocate General, in Cr.MP(M)

Nos. 1034 & 1035 of 2025.

Mr. Jitender K. Sharma, Additional Advocate General, in Cr.MP(M) No.1201 of 2025, with HC Harish Kumar No.84, I/O PS Rampur, District Shimla (H.P). Rakesh Kainthla, Judge All the petitions have been filed for seeking regular bail in the same FIR; hence, these are being taken up together for disposal by way of a common judgment.

2. The petitioners have filed the present petitions seeking regular bail in FIR No. 30 of 2025, dated 04.03.2025, registered for the commission of offences punishable under Sections 21, 27A and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (in short “NDPS Act”) and Section 111 of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (in short “BNS”), at Police Station, Rampur, Shimla, H.P. As per the prosecution, the police party found a vehicle bearing temporary registration number T1124-HP7712N parked on the roadside. The police found Sohan Lal & Geeta sitting in the vehicle. The police searched the vehicle and recovered 26.68 grams of chitta/heroin from the dashboard of the vehicle. The police arrested the occupants of the vehicle. The police checked the bank account of the occupants of the vehicle and found money transactions. The police arrested the petitioners based on the money transaction with Sohan Lal. The police found that the petitioner Rajan Mehta had transferred ₹40,570/- to the account of Sohan Lal @ Sonu, and he had made 76 phone calls to Sohan Lal @ Sonu. The petitioner, Naveen Chauhan, had transferred ₹17,300/- to the account of Sohan Lal @ Sonu and made 06 phone calls. The petitioner, Mohit Aggarwal, had transferred ₹ 20,300/- to the account of Sohan Lal, and he had talked to him 28 times. The petitioners are innocent, and they were falsely implicated in the present FIR. There is no evidence to connect the petitioners with the commission of the offence. They belong to respectable families, and there is no chance of their absconding. The petitioners would abide by the terms and conditions which the Court may impose. Hence, the petitions.

3. The petitions are opposed by filing status reports asserting that the police party was on patrolling duty on

03.03.2025. They found a vehicle bearing Registration No. T1124- HP7712N, parked on the roadside. The police went to the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle identified himself as Sohan Lal, and the lady sitting beside him identified herself as Geeta Sreshta. The police searched the vehicle and recovered a polythene powder containing 26.68 grams of chitta/heroin. The police seized the chitta/heroin and arrested the occupants of the vehicle. The call details of Sohan Lal and Geeta Sreshta were obtained, and their bank account details were checked. It was found that Sohan Lal had ₹3,26,639.41/- in his bank account and Geeta Sreshta had ₹1,19,498.52/- in her account. Statements of their bank accounts revealed that ₹45,61,780/ were credited to the account of Sohan Lal between 01.01.2023 to 04.03.2025, whereas ₹45,35,780/- were debited from his account maintained in Central Bank of India. Further, ₹17,10,26