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IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATE OF TELANGANA

AT HYDERABAD

THE HONOURABLE SMT. JUSTICE K. SUJANA

CRIMINAL PETITION No.3611 of 2026

DATE: 31.03.2026

BETWEEN:

Pulaparthi Satyadeva and another

…..petitioners/accused Nos.6 and 7

And

The State of Telangana, Rep. by its Public Prosecutor,

High Court for the State of Telangana at Hyderabad.

…..Respondent/complainant

ORDER

This Criminal Petition is filed under Section 482 of

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short ‘BNSS’) for grant of pre-arrest bail to the petitioners, who are arrayed as accused Nos.6 and 7 in Crime No.356 of 2025 before the Bhadrachalam Town Police Station, Bhadradri Kothagudem District, registered for the offences

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punishable under Sections 8(c) read with 20(b)(ii)(C) and

Sections 27-A and 29 of NDPS Act, 1985.

2. The brief facts of the case are that on 07.12.2025 at about 19:20 hours, the police of Bhadrachalam Town intercepted vehicles and allegedly seized 222.96 kgs of ganja from accused Nos.1 to 4. A case in F.I.R.No.356 of

2025 was registered for the above said offences.

3. Heard Sri T. Vasantha Rao, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners as well as Sri M. Ramachandra Reddy, learned Additional Public Prosecutor

appearing on behalf of the respondent – State.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the petitioners are innocent and falsely implicated solely on the basis of alleged confessional statements of co-accused, which have no evidentiary value and that no contraband, vehicle, or material was recovered from the petitioners and there are no specific overt acts attributed to them. He contended that the investigation is already completed and only filing of charge sheet is pending, and custodial interrogation is not required. Therefore, he prayed the

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Court to grant pre-arrest bail to the petitioners by allowing

this Criminal Petition.

5. On the other hand, learned Additional Public Prosecutor opposes the grant of anticipatory bail contending that the case involves seizure of commercial quantity of ganja and serious offences under the NDPS Act and that the petitioners are part of a larger network involved in transportation of narcotic substances and their

role has surfaced during investigation.

6. In the light of the submissions made by both the learned counsel and a perusal of the material available on record, it is noted that the limited grievance of learned counsel for the petitioners is that the petitioners were falsely implicated in the case and that petitioners are no way concerned with the alleged offence punishable under NDPS Act, as no contraband was seized from their possession, whereas, it is the specific stand of learned Additional Public Prosecutor that petitioners are actively

involved with other accused in their illegal activities.

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7. At this stage, it is pertinent to note that in cases arising under the NDPS Act, the Court is required to exercise great caution while considering a prayer for anticipatory bail, keeping in view the nature of allegations, gravity of the offence, and the necessity of custodial interrogation for a fair and effective investigation. The Hon’ble High Court, as affirmed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Dinesh Chander v. State of Haryana, SLP (Crl.) No. 9540 of 2025, has observed that where the investigation materials disclose a prima facie link of the accused with the alleged offence, such as their involvement being reflected from statements of co-accused, electronic communication, or financial transactions, the grant of pre-arrest protection would seriously hamper the process of investigation. The settled position of law is that anticipatory bail is not to be granted as a matter of routine or on mere assertion of innocence, particularly when the investigation is at a nascent stage and the role of the petitioners requires thorough examination. In such circumstances, the Court may rightly decline to extend the discretionary relief of anticipatory bail,

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leavi

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