taken up for offences under the NDPS Act.

3. The vehicle in question was seized as the conveyance used in the commission of the alleged offence and was produced before the jurisdictional Magistrate. The respondent thereafter initiated steps under Section 52-A of the NDPS Act by preparing an inventory and forwarding the vehicle for disposal through the Drug Disposal Committee as per the 2022 Rules.

Case of the petitioner / Vehicle Owner:

4. The petitioner claims to be the registered owner of the said Maruti Suzuki Tour car bearing Registration No. TN-59-CL-7012. He is an engineering graduate, presently employed in a private company, and states that due to a meagre salary and financial stress, he purchased the subject vehicle in 2021 under finance from Shriram Finance Ltd. The Registration Certificate and allied documents stand in his name.

The car bears a commercial “T-Board” and is used as a rental vehicle.

5. According to the petitioner, the vehicle is routinely rented out to various persons for hire. His own brother, Manikandan, is a driver and is the first accused in this case. On 12.08.2024, the said Manikandan is stated to have borrowed the vehicle on a rental basis for one trip wi