JUDGMENT (ORAL)

Vaidya, J. - On 25th October, 1993, the Sessions Judge, South Goa, Margao, held the appellant guilty of an offence punishable under Section 21 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and under his order dated 25.10.1993 he convicted him of that offence and sentenced him to suffer R.I. for 10 years and to pay a fine of Rs. 1 lakh, in default, to suffer further R.I. for 6 months.

2. Having felt aggrieved by this decision, the appellant has preferred this appeal contending that his conviction as well as the quantum of sentence awarded to him were not warranted by law and that the learned Sessions Judge had failed to appreciate the evidence in a manner that was according to law. It is contended further that though the evidence of the panchas and the Police Officers examined at the trial was discrepant and not worthy of safe reliance for several reasons, the same was relied upon by the learned sessions Judge. It was also contended that the learned Sessions Judge had ignored the fact that the muddemal articles were not properly identified before the Court nor was it conclusively established before the Court that whatever was allegedly seized from the a