Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 7: The court of Sessions/Special Judge NDPS Cases, Jammu, has convicted four accused persons in a narcotics case after they voluntarily confessed their guilt in connection with the recovery of 29 kilograms of poppy straw from a vehicle.
Special Judge NDPS Cases, Jammu, Parvaiz Iqbal, passed the order in a complaint filed by the Union of India through NCB, Jammu Zonal Unit, against accused Raj Mohd, Pandav Mukhiya, Savita Devi and Mala Devi in Crime No. 07/2025, registered under Sections 8/15/29 of the NDPS Act.
As per the prosecution case, NCB had received secret information on July 18, 2025, that narcotic substance was being transported from Pampore, Srinagar to Malerkotla, Punjab through Jammu. Acting on the input, the NCB team, with the assistance of police, intercepted the vehicles near Jammu and recovered poppy straw concealed in sacks and bedding kept on the roof carrier of an Innova car bearing registration No. JK02DF-8645.
The court recorded that the total recovered contraband weighed 29 kg, comprising two lots of 14 kg and 15 kg, which fell within the category of more than small quantity but less than commercial quantity under the NDPS Act.
During proceedings, the accused, through counsel, moved an application seeking permission to make confession in the complaint. They submitted that they were first-time offenders, poor, residing outside the Union Territory of J&K, and wanted to confess voluntarily after deep introspection. The court made them aware that such confession would entail penal consequences. The matter was posted after lunch to give them time to rethink, after which they again expressed willingness to confess without coercion, threat or pressure.
The prosecution was represented by Ajay Singh Manhas, while the accused were represented by Pooja Jamwal, Deputy Legal Aid Defence Counsel Jammu, and R D Bandral.
After recording their confessional statements, the court held the accused guilty for offences under Sections 8/15/29 NDPS Act and convicted them. On the question of sentence, the Special Public Prosecutor argued that the recovered quantity was not for personal consumption but for sale-purchase and that drug abuse was eating into society, particularly affecting the younger generation.
However, taking into account the confession, financial condition of the accused, their status as first-time offenders, and the absence of any report showing that they were habitual offenders, the court sentenced them to imprisonment for the period already undergone during investigation – approximately 210 days – and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each, totaling Rs 40,000.
The court further ordered that the seized contraband shall be destroyed as per Supreme Court guidelines after the appeal period, while personal belongings recovered during investigation be released in favour of the convicts. The challan was disposed of and consigned to records.
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