# Supreme Court says it is liberal in granting bail in ganja cases 2026-09-16T20:06:40+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Supreme Court on Wednesday orally observed that it is very liberal in granting bail in cases involving ganja, while hearing a plea from a West Bengal man accused in an NDPS case. A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale told the petitioner, Biswanath Mandal, that he should get his bail plea dismissed by the lower court and then approach the top court. "Come for bail we'll give you. See, when it comes to Ganja, we are very liberal. Whenever it comes to us, we grant bail. Get a dismissal and come here, we will give you bail," the court said. The case involves the alleged recovery of 252.330 kg of ganja from a house in Cooch Behar. Mandal has contended he was not present during the seizure and does not own the house. Times Now reports the plea argues the investigation produced no proof of his ownership and that his co-accused, his second wife, was granted anticipatory bail by the Calcutta High Court. The plea also cites his willingness to cooperate and that the charge sheet has already been filed. Mandal is challenging the Calcutta High Court's February 13 order rejecting his anticipatory bail. The Supreme Court has not yet issued a formal order on the plea. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources report the same oral observation from the bench. The framing is uniform straight reporting, with no discernible slant from either outlet. The court's remark signals a practical judicial approach to NDPS cases involving ganja, potentially encouraging more accused persons to seek bail directly from the Supreme Court. The outcome now depends on whether the court formalises this stance in a written order, which could influence bail jurisprudence under the NDPS Act. ## Coverage - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Straight reporting of court proceedings and plea details - ndtv.com (neutral report) Brief factual report of court's oral observation Tags: Biswanath Mandal, Calcutta High Court, M M Sundresh, NDPS Act, Supreme Court of India Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-says-it-is-liberal-in-granting-bail-in-ganja-cases/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-says-it-is-liberal-in-granting-bail-in-ganja-cases/#story-in-brief