[Possession Of Drugs] Supreme Court Seeks Assam’s Response In Third Year Law Student’s Plea Seeking Bail

The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday asked the State of Assam to file a counter affidavit in a plea filed by a third-year law student seeking bail, in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

A Bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela Trivedi will hear the case after 10 weeks. The SLP was filed challenging an order of the Guahati High Court dated November 15, last year, denying him anticipatory bail.

According to the prosecution, on September 22, 2022, a police team searched the petitioner’s house and recovered 9.80 gm of suspected heroine in four plastic containers, one tobacco container with 21.89 gm of suspected heroine and 24 capsules of Span-Trancan Plus.

During the hearing today, the counsel for the State vehemently opposed the SLP. Since the petitioner is law student, he shouldn’t have resorted to such activities, the counsel argued. “Someone who is a law student should have known better”.

When the Bench asked him the petitioner’s age, the advocate replied that he would be 25 years, at max.

“He would be 25 at best. He’s a final year law student [three-year LLB course]. We have been to his house on five different occasions, he has been absconding since then”.

Further, he argued that there’s a huge war going on in Assam against drugs.

“There's a war on the drugs is Assam. In high and low quantities, many people possess these substances. The root is through Myanmar - through Manipur and Nagaland”.

In February, while issuing notice in the case, the Court stayed the High Court’s order dismissing the petitioner’s pre-arrest bail.

Case Title: Jahidul Islam @ Md. Jahidul Islam Vs The State Of Assam | Special Leave To Appeal (Crl.) No(S). 1989- 1990/2023