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No need for leniency while granting bail in drug cases, says Kerala high court

No need for leniency while granting bail in drug cases, says Kerala high court

Time of India29-04-2025
Kochi: Showing leniency in granting bail in NDPS cases would be against societal interests, especially when incidents of peddling ganja and other synthetic drugs are increasing at an alarming rate in our society, particularly among youth and school-going children, high court has observed.
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A bench of Justice Jobin Sebastian made this observation while dismissing the bail plea of P N Abhinav of Kozhikode, who was arrested along with another accused for possessing 221.89 grams of MDMA stored inside an almirah in a hotel room at Kunnamangalam. Abhinav was detained on Jan 21 and has remained in custody since then.
Opposing the bail plea, the public prosecutor submitted that chemical examination revealed the contraband seized was not MDMA but
Methamphetamine
, and the quantity involved in this case is commercial.
The source of the contraband is yet to be traced, and a meticulous investigation is essential to identify its origin.
HC noted that the allegation against the petitioner, along with the co-accused, involves possession of a large quantity of Methamphetamine intended for sale, in violation of the
NDPS Act
— a charge that cannot be taken lightly. Agreeing with the prosecutor, the court emphasised the need for an in-depth investigation to uncover all details of the case and accordingly dismissed the bail application.
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