IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATES OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH

208 CRM-M-56876-2025 (O&M)

Date of decision: 13.11.2025 Ragwinder Singh ...Petitioner Versus State of Haryana ...Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MANISHA BATRA Present:- Mr. Satnam Singh Gill, Advocate for the petitioner.

Ms. Himani Arora, DAG, Haryana.

MANISHA BATRA, J. (Oral)

1. Prayer in this petition, filed under Section 482 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short ‘BNSS’), is for grant of anticipatory bail to the petitioner in FIR No. 183 dated 25.08.2025, registered under Section 15(C) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (for short ‘NDPS Act’) and Sections 318(4) and 341(2) of BNS, 2023 (Sections 29 and 27A of the NDPS Act added later on) at Police Station City Pehowa, District Kurukshetra.

2. As per the allegations, on 25.08.2025, on receipt of a secret information to the effect that accused Bachittar Singh and Yadvinder Singh were engaged in the business of sale/purchase of contraband and on that very day also, they had brought poppy husk from the area of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and further that they were going towards Patiala and could be apprehended along with a car bearing registration number PB-11-DK-3803 in which they were carrying the contraband, a raiding party was immediately formed. A barricade was laid at the informed place. Some time thereafter, the abovementioned Fortuner car had reached at the spot. Signal was given to the driver to stop but he did not do so and sped the vehicle. The vehicle entered into the main market area of Pehowa and was followed by the police officials. Due to traffic jam, it was stopped. Two persons alighted from the car and started running away. The driver managed to flee but the another person was apprehended and disclosed his name as Bachittar Singh. He also disclosed the name of the other person as Yadvinder Singh. On conducting search, 12 heavy black plastic sacks were found to be kept inside the car, which were containing poppy husk. On weighing the same, they were found to be containing 02 quintals, 30 kgs. and 560 grams of poppy husk including the weight of the bags. Accused Bachittar Singh was formally arrested. The car was taken into custody. On interrogation, accused Bachittar Singh suffered disclosure statement on 26.08.2025, which showed that the number plate of the said car was fake.

3. As per the further allegations, accused Bachittar Singh suffered another disclosure statement on 28.08.2025 to the effect that the present petitioner and co-accused Navjot Singh had given him an amount of Rs. 4 Lakhs to purchase the poppy husk from one Gopal Singh, who was the main supplier of the contraband. Call details record of the cell phones used by the petitioner and accused Bachittar Singh, was collected and it was revealed that they had exchanged 99 calls during the period from 01.08.2025 to 25.08.2025 and the petitioner had also been talking to co-accused Yadvinder Singh. The Whatsapp chat locations were also collected. Investigation also revealed that the petitioner was having bank transactions with accused Gopal Singh, the main supplier of the contraband. Investigation qua the petitioner is still underway. Apprehending his arrest, the petitioner had moved an application for grant of anticipatory bail before the Court of learned Additional Sessions Judge, Kurukshetra but the same had been dismissed, vide order dated

18.09.2025.

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 suffered by co-accused which cannot be considered to be admissible in evidence. He was not named in the FIR and has no concern with the recovered contraband. He is ready to join the investigation. No recovery is to be effected from him. No useful purpose would be served by detaining him in custody. Therefore, it is urged that the petition deserves to be allowed.

5. Per contra, learned State counsel, whi