IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH

236 Date of Decision: 10.02.2026 Pankaj @ Pankaj Kumar ... Petitioner Versus State of Haryana ... Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE MANISHA BATRA Present: Ms. Manjot Kaur, Advocate, for the petitioner.

Mr. Aditya Pal Singla, AAG, Haryana, for the respondent-State.

***

MANISHA BATRA , J. (Oral)

1. The present one is the third petition as filed by the petitioner under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short ‘BNSS’) seeking concession of regular bail in case bearing FIR No.438 dated 23.06.2023, registered under Section 18 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (for short ‘NDPS Act’) (Section 29 of NDPS Act added later on), at Police Station Thanesar Sadar, District Kurukshetra.

2. It is argued by learned counsel for the petitioner that eversince the dismissal of his previous petitions, the trial has not progressed much since only 01 out of 17 prosecution witnesses has been examined so far. There are no chances of conclusion of the same in near future. No useful purpose would be served by keeping him in custody any more. It is, therefore, urged that the petition deserves to be allowed.

3