SRINAGAR: The Special Court under the NDPS Act at Samba has sentenced two Punjab residents to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,00,000 each after convicting them in a narcotics trafficking case investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Jammu Zonal Unit.
Principal Sessions Judge RN Watal, presiding over the NDPS Court, delivered the judgment in Crime No. 07/2020, finding Harjit Singh and Raj Kumar guilty under Sections 8(c)/20(c)/60 of the NDPS Act. The case stemmed from credible intelligence inputs that led to their arrest for trafficking commercial quantities of narcotics as part of a wider cross-border network.
During sentencing arguments, Special Public Prosecutor Bhupinder Singh Charak pressed for strict punishment, stating that drug trafficking was an organised activity that destroyed youth, destabilised families, and shredded the social fabric. “Such crimes must attract deterrent punishment to protect society,” he said.
The defence, represented by advocates Iqbal Hussain Bhat, Nisha Rani, and Suman Bhagat, sought leniency on humanitarian grounds, citing the convicts’ youth and family responsibilities.
Rejecting the plea, the Court observed that drug traffickers acted as “suppliers of poison” to the younger generation and were often linked to organised syndicates exploiting vulnerable people. The Court emphasised that those indulging in such crimes “shall face no sympathy” as the menace of narcotics had to be dealt with firmly to safeguard society.
Apart from the 10-year sentence, both convicts face an additional year of rigorous imprisonment in default of payment of the fine. The period already spent in custody during the trial will be set off against the sentence. The duo has been lodged in District Jail, Amphalla, Jammu to serve the remainder of their term.
The judgment reaffirms the judiciary’s uncompromising stance against organised drug trafficking and underlines the need for strong measures to dismantle syndicates driving the narcotics menace.
