IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Ankit Gupta ... Petitioner Versus State of Punjab ...Respondent

1 The date when the judgment is reserved 10.03.2026 2 The date when the judgment is pronounced 18.03.2026 3 The date when the judgment is uploaded on the 18.03.2026 website

4 Whether only operative part of the judgment is Full pronounced or whether the full judgment is pronounced

5 The delay, if any, of the pronouncement of full Not applicable judgment and reasons thereof.

CORAM: HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MANISHA BATRA Present: Mr. Anil Mehta, Advocate and Ms. Sukriti Kaur, Advocate for the petitioner Ms. Ruchika Sabherwal, Sr. DAG, Punjab ****

MANISHA BATRA, J. (Oral)

1. The instant petition has been filed by the petitioner under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short “BNSS”) for grant of anticipatory bail in case arising out of FIR No.221 dated 18.08.2025 registered under Sections 22, 25 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (for short “NDPS”) at Police Station Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), District ANTF Wing, Ludhiana.

2. The aforementioned FIR was registered on the basis of the statement recorded by ASI Paramjit Singh, Anti-Narcotic Task Force, Ludhiana on 18.08.2025, alleging therein that on receipt of a secret information to the effect that the accused Ramesh Kumar, who was indulged in illicit trade of selling intoxicant tablets since long, was travelling in his silver colour Honda City car bearing registration No.CH- 04J-5670 and was coming towards Guru Gobind Singh Nagar for the purpose of supplying intoxicating tablets to his customers, a raiding party was formed which reached at the informed place and laid a barrier. Accused Ramesh Kumar, who came driving the aforementioned vehicle, was stopped. On conducting search, 01 kit bag was recovered from the boot of his car and on opening the same 12,000 intoxicating tablets of Alprazolam and 900 intoxicating tablets of Tramadol Hydrochloride were recovered from the same. Two mobile phones and drug money of Rs.3,600/- were also got recovered from him. He was formally arrested. On interrogation, he suffered disclosure statement on the basis of which, additional accused were nominated and had been subsequently arrested.

3. As per the further allegations, accused Mohammad Hasan had been arrested on 08.12.2025. He suffered disclosure statement on the basis of which Vartika Aggarwal was nominated as additional accused. She was arrested on 07.10.2025. Illicit narcotic medicines were recovered from her pharmaceutical shop namely Shree Lashmi Pharma Medical and Surgical.

One electronic machine of currency counting, drug money of Rs.28,85,000/- and one mobile phone were also recovered from her, apart from other articles. It was revealed that she, in connivance with accused Mohammad Hasan and by using the name and firm of Gautam Pharmaceuticals, had been involved in illicit business of purchase of narcotics and further sale of the same and was an important part of chain of network of drug peddling. On the disclosure of Vartika Aggarwal and Mohammad Hasan, Ajit Singh was nominated as additional accused. He was arrested on 07.10.2025. He disclosed that he used to work for Vartika Aggarwal for sale of illicit tablets and that he had sent a photograph of the box of medicines to the present petitioner after deleting/blackening the bath number as per instructions of Vartika Aggarwal. On his disclosure, the present petitioner was nominated as an accused on 13.10.2025. Apprehending his arrest, the petitioner moved an application for grant of anticipatory bail which has been dismissed by the Court of Learned Additional Sessions Judge, Ludhiana vide order dated 18.11.2025.

4. It is argued by learned counsel for the petitioner that he has been falsely implicated in this case on the basis of the disclosure statement of the co-accused which cannot be considered to be admissible in evidence. His antecedents are clean. He is Sales and M