Chandigarh court convicts man for possessing 201 gm heroin

A special court in Chandigarh has convicted Amit Kumar in a 2020 narcotics case for possessing 201 gm of heroin and sentenced him to one year of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25,000. The court ordered that the period already spent in custody be set off against the sentence. The fine was recorded as paid.

Special judge Raman Goklaney held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt under Section 21(b) of the NDPS Act. According to the Hindustan Times, police patrolling near Sector 39-D on January 28, 2020, spotted Kumar walking from Sector 56. They alleged he turned and walked away briskly, and was intercepted around 10.30 pm, leading to recovery of the heroin.

Kumar's defence claimed he was picked up from the Haryana MLA hostel hours before the alleged recovery and the case was fabricated. The court rejected this, noting defence witnesses lacked support from CCTV footage, call records, or immediate complaint. The court took a lenient view on sentence considering Kumar's family circumstances and that he had no other criminal case.