IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Reserved on: 02.09.2025 Pronounced on: 18.09.2025 Harmandeep Singh @ Honey ...Petitioner Versus State of Punjab …Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ANOOP CHITKARA Present: Mr. H.S. Kehal, Advocate, for the petitioner.

Mr. Jasdev Singh Thind, DAG, Punjab.

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ANOOP CHITKARA, J.

FIR No. Dated Police Station Sections

01 05.01.2025 Bhindi Saidan, Distt. 21, 25, 29/61/85 of NDPS Act Amritsar Rural (section 27 A of NDPS Act added later on)

1. The petitioner incarcerated in the FIR captioned above had come up before this Court under Section 483 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, [BNSS], seeking regular bail.

2. As per paragraph 13 of the bail application, the petitioner has no criminal antecedents:

3. The facts and allegations are taken from paras 2 & 3 of the status report filed by the State, which reads as follows:

“2. That the brief and relevant facts of the case are that the aforesaid FIR No.01 dated 05.01.2025 was registered at the Police station Bhindi Saidan, Amritsar (Rural), on the basis of a 'Ruqa' sent by SI Lakhwinder Singh No.114/ASR-R, stating therein that the co-accused Balbir Singh alias Bira (driver) and Ajay Verma (co-passenger) were apprehended by him while fleeing from the spot leaving behind I-20 Car No.PB10-EZ- 4015, along with the police party during the checking of anti-social elements by laying nakabandi at village Kadial, Amritsar and two packets containing 1 kilogram of heroin with a total of 2 kilograms of heroin was recovered from the kitbag kept under the driver seat of the aforesaid car in the presence of the then Deputy Superintendent of Police, PBI/Special Crime, having an Additional Charge of Sub-division Rajasansi, Amritsar (Rural) in compliance with section 50 NDPS Act. The detailed facts leading to the recovery of aforesaid 2 kilograms of heroin have been reproduced in true translation of the FIR No.01 dated 05.01.2025 attached with the petition as Annexure P-1, which may kindly be read as part of this paragraph please as same are not repeated for the sake of brevity.

The evidence based upon which the petitioner was arraigned as an accused in present case

3. That during the custodial interrogation, the co-accused Balbir Singh alias Bira suffered a disclosure statement, disclosing therein that his cousin Ajay Verma fell into bad company and case FIR No.203 dated 11.11.2023 under section 21, 23-27-A and 29 NDPS Act was registered against his cousin Ajay Verma at Police Station Lopoke and his cousin developed relations with smugglers during his confinement in Central Jail, Amritsar. He further disclosed that when his cousin Ajay Verma was released on bail, he (Ajay Verma) asked him to join smuggling of heroin from where they can make good money and made him to talk to an International number +31685xxxx and on 05.01.2025, he received a call from the aforesaid number, who told him to go to Bhindi Saidan area, where Harman Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Harmandeep Singh (petitioner), who were known of Ajay Verma, will meet him on red coloured scooter and they will give one consignment of heroin to him (Balbir Singh). He further disclosed that he and his cousin Ajay Verma reached Bhindi Saidan on I-20 Car, where Harman Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Harmandeep Singh (petitioner) met them and gave 2 kilograms of heroin to them and he had hidden Rs. 1 Lakh 50 thousand drug money under the back seat, which he can get recovered.”

4. The Investigator claims to have complied with all the statutory requirements of the NDPS Act, 1985, and BNSS, 2023.

5. The petitioner's counsel prays for bail by imposing any stringent conditions and contends that further pre-trial incarceration would cause an irreversible injustice to the petitioner and his family.

6. The State’s counsel opposes bail and refers to the status report.

7. It would be appropriate to refer to paras 6 & 7 of the status report, which reads as follows:

“6. That the petitioner, co-accused Sukhdev Singh and Harman