Peddler gets 8 yrs in jail for possession

Ludhiana: A local court has sentenced a drug peddler to eight-year rigorous imprisonment for conscious possession of 100 grams of intoxicant powder. Judge special court Harbans Singh Lekhi also imposed a fine of Rs 80,000 on the convict .
On May 2, 2017, the Sidhwan Bet police station had booked Karnail Singh of Khurshaidpura under the NDPS Act for possession of contraband.ASI Kulwinder Singh along with other police officials were going from Sidhwan Bet to Bhaini Gujjran village that day when at about 7pm they reached T-point of Khurshaidpura village and saw a man was coming on foot.
On suspicion, police apprehended him. He identified himself as Karnail Singh. Police later recovered a polythene envelope from him and found intoxicant powder in it. Police arrested the accused and after completing the investigation, they presented a chargesheet against him in the court.
During the trial of the case, the accused pleaded false implication. The counsel for accused argued that no independent witness was joined by the police despite the fact that they had ample opportunity to join the same and independent witnesses were available to them.
The court cited the case wherein the Punjab and Haryana high court had held that that people were generally averse to join the police and depose in favour of the prosecution, as they are afraid of the fact that joining of the police and deposing in favour of the prosecution may expose them to serious consequences.
“So, in view of this ruling, efforts made by the investigating officer to join independent witness with the police party and their refusal to oblige the police in doing so cannot be disbelieved,” the court remarked.
The court also held that had the accused been falsely implicated in this case or recovery was planted upon him, then he would have made some complaint before a higher authority, but he has not done so.