STATE TIMES NEWS
UDHAMPUR: Principal District and Sessions Judge Udhampur Y.P Bourney has convicted two accused in NDPS Act case registered under FIR Number 313/2014 with Police Station Udhampur.
According to the case history, on Aug 14, 2014, a team of Police station Udhampur, during duty, intercepted a truck bearing registration number PB09S /7297 near Jakhani on Jammu Srinagar National Highway. During checking, the police team recovered 100 polythene bags of Poppy straw weighing 98 kilograms from a parallel fuel tank attached on the other side of the truck. The accused were arrested and contraband items were seized.
On this, case FIR Number 313/2014 U/S 8/15 (C) NDPS Act was registered at Police Station Udhampur and investigation started. During the trial, the Court of Principal District and Sessions Judge Udhampur has found sufficient evidence connecting the accused with the crime.
After hearing Public Prosecutor Koshal Kotwal for the State and the counsel for the accused person, Principal Sessions Judge observed, “taking into account the culpability as well as the aggravating and mitigating factors highlighted by the learned counsels both sides admittedly both the offenders are first offenders and have no previous criminal history . However it cannot be lost sight of that the offence of which they have been held guilty is heinous and encompasses the society as whole under its sweep particularly the youngsters and other vulnerable sections of the society. Therefore undue leniency to the convicts may prove to be counterproductive.
“So having considered the aggravating and mitigating circumstances court convicted the accused Lakhvinder Singh son of Balvinder Singh resident of village Jabbowal Kapoorthala Punjab and Gurjeet Singh son of Kuldeep Singh resident of village Nangal Labbana Kapurthla Punjab are sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 14 years each with a fine of Rs 02 lakh each and in default of payment of fine, each accused shall undergo further rigorous imprisonment for a period of two years” the Court ordered. The period of imprisonment already undergone during investigation /trial shall be set off from the period of sentence.
