Man gets 12 years jail for possessing 2kg hashish oil

Chennai: A court in Chennai has sentenced Raju, a 35-year-old man from Hyderabad, to 12 years rigorous imprisonment for possession of 2kg of hashish oil. The court also imposed a fine of 1,20,000 on him.
The case originated from a tip-off received by police on Feb 10, 2023, about a man near Tondiarpet railway station attempting to sell hashish oil.
Acting on the information, police officers apprehended Raju, who was found carrying a black bag containing the contraband.Raju, who did not understand Tamil, had the proceedings translated to him. Police seized two kilograms of hashish oil, with two samples taken for analysis. The seizure was documented, and Raju was arrested on the spot.
The prosecution presented evidence from five key witnesses and confirmed the substance was hashish oil through a lab report.
While the prosecution maintained that all procedures under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were followed, the defence argued that no independent witnesses were involved, and there were procedural lapses, including delays in presenting the contraband in court.
However, the court presided over by C Thirumagal, dismissed these claims, stating that procedural norms were met, and independent witnesses are often unwilling in narcotics cases.