Ludhiana: A local court has sentenced two drug peddlers to rigorous imprisonment in a case involving recovery of poppy husk. The special court of Judge Jagdeep Sood awarded 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment to one of the accused for possession of 100 kilograms of poppy husk, and three months’ rigorous imprisonment to another for possession of seven kilograms of poppy husk.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the convict found with 100 kilograms and Rs 5,000 on the accused found with seven kilograms of the contraband.The case dates back to Nov 28, 2022, when Payal police filed a case against Darshan Singh of Dhamot Kalan, Payal, and Avtar Singh of Chorwala village in Fatehgarh Sahib district under the NDPS Act for conscious possession of 100 kilograms and 7 kilograms poppy husk respectively.According to the prosecution, SI Gurpartap Singh, the investigating officer, along with other police personnel, was present at the T-point Bus Stand in Jalla village for vehicle checking at around 9:05pm. During the operation, a white car was seen coming from Payal side. Police signalled the driver to stop, but he attempted to turn back. The car was intercepted, and the occupants identified themselves as Darshan Singh (driver) and Avtar Singh.The investigating officer informed them that he suspected them of carrying contraband. Police tried to join independent witnesses, but no one agreed to participate. On searching the vehicle, police recovered a white plastic bag containing seven kilograms of poppy husk. Both accused were arrested.During interrogation, Darshan Singh made a disclosure statement admitting that he and Avtar Singh had purchased one quintal of poppy husk for Rs 39,000 per kg, which they sold at Rs 45,000 per kg. He revealed that the remaining poppy husk had been kept concealed in the storeroom of his house. Acting on this disclosure, police recovered four plastic bags containing poppy husk.After completing the investigation, police filed a chargesheet against the accused in court. During trial, both accused claimed false implication. Their defence counsel argued that the police had failed to join independent witnesses, which weakened the case of the prosecution.The court also observed that non-joining of independent witnesses is not fatal, as members of the public are often reluctant to join investigations. It held that statements of official witnesses, when found trustworthy and reliable, can form the basis of conviction. “In such circumstances, statements made by official witnesses have to be scrutinised with care and caution, and if found reliable, can be acted upon,” the court noted.After examining the evidence, the court convicted Darshan Singh for possession of 100 kilograms of poppy husk and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. Avtar Singh was convicted for conscious possession of 7 kilograms of poppy husk and awarded three months’ rigorous imprisonment.
