Held with habit-forming tablets in 2019, man gets 10 yrs in jail

Ludhiana: A local court has sentenced a drug peddler to 10-year rigorous imprisonment for possession of 4,500 intoxicating tablets. Judge Special Court Jagdeep Sood also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the convict and in default of payment of fine he will have to further undergo imprisonment for six months.
On January 23, 2019, cops from Maloud police station had booked 44-year-old Manjeet Singh of Mandiani under the NDPS Act for possession of intoxicating tablets.That day, ASI Gurjant Singh along with a police party was deployed near Raurian bus stand when and he received information that accused Manjeet Singh, who sold intoxicant tablets illegally, was coming from Kup village towards Ramgarh Sardara and was carrying a huge quantity of contraband.
When the police party reached the spot, they saw the accused coming carrying a cloth bag. On seeing cops, he tried to turn back, but was apprehended.
Police later recovered intoxicating tablets from the cloth bag of the accused and arrested him. It later presented a chargesheet against the accused in court after completing investigation in the case.
During the trial, the accused pleaded false implication.
The counsel for the accused argued that recovery was effected from a public place, however no independent witness joined in the case.
The court didn’t find merit in the argument and held that it was well settled law that mere non-joining of independent witness was not fatal to the prosecution case.
“As people are generally reluctant to join an investigation, in such circumstances statements made by the official witnesses have to be scrutinized with care and caution. In case the same are found to be trustworthy and reliable, same can be acted upon,” the court remarked.
The court then convicted the accused.
Pronouncing the quantum of sentence, the judge said, “This region is reeling under the menace of drug. The proliferation of drugs and supply chain system has ruined many families and in fact it is proxy war lodged by enimical forces against our nation. Drug menace is on alarming rise and proliferation of drugs is directly affecting the youth and entire social fabric of society.”