NDPS court denies bail to four accused in 226-kg poppy straw case

18/10/2026

JAMMU, Oct 17: A court in Jammu has rejected the bail applications of four accused in a narcotics trafficking case involving the seizure of 226.280 kg of poppy straw concealed in an apple consignment, observing that call detail records, WhatsApp communications and financial transactions prima facie indicated links among the accused.
Special Judge (NDPS Cases) Parvaiz Iqbal dismissed the bail pleas of Bilal Ahmed Reshi, Abdul Hameed Choopan, Shabir Ahmed Reshi and Lakhwinder Singh, holding that they had failed to satisfy the stringent twin conditions for bail under Section 37 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The case relates to Crime No. 10/2025 registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Jammu, under Sections 8, 15, 27A and 29 of the NDPS Act.
According to the prosecution, acting on specific information, NCB officials intercepted a truck bearing registration number JK22A-1016 at Chowadhi Morh on National Highway-44 on October 1, 2025. A search led to the recovery of 43 cartons containing 226.280 kg of poppy straw concealed among 963 cartons of apples.
The prosecution alleged that the consignment had been loaded in Kashmir and was being transported to Ludhiana in Punjab. Further investigation allegedly established the involvement of other accused as suppliers, transporters and receivers of the contraband.
During subsequent searches, the NCB also recovered 12.878 kg of poppy straw concealed in a vehicle belonging to accused Lakhwinder Singh in Punjab.
The investigating agency relied on financial transactions involving substantial sums, call detail records and WhatsApp communications to allege that the accused were connected to an organised interstate drug trafficking network.
Advocates Idrees Saleem Dar, Syed Muneeb, Baldev Singh and Nittan Gupta appeared for the respective accused, while Special Public Prosecutor A. S. Manhas represented the NCB and opposed the bail applications.
After examining the submissions and prosecution material, the court noted that the quantity of contraband allegedly recovered fell within the commercial quantity category, attracting the statutory restrictions under Section 37 of the NDPS Act.
The court observed that the electronic communications, call records and financial transactions relied upon by the prosecution raised prima facie concerns regarding the alleged involvement of the accused in interstate trafficking. It also noted that the material indicated a suspected conspiracy to transport commercial quantities of poppy straw.
Justice Iqbal observed that a court considering bail at this stage could not conduct a mini-trial or undertake a detailed assessment of the evidence to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused.
Referring to Supreme Court judgments, including Union of India v. Mohit Aggarwal, State of Meghalaya v. Lalrinsanga Sailo and NCB v. Kashif, the court reiterated that bail in cases involving commercial quantities of narcotic substances is governed by the stringent conditions prescribed under Section 37 of the NDPS Act.
Under these provisions, the court must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused are not guilty of the alleged offences and that they are unlikely to commit any offence while on bail.
The court also took note of multiple FIRs under the NDPS Act involving the accused, observing that the relevant circumstances had to be considered while deciding their applications.
It further noted that charges under Sections 8, 15 and 29 of the NDPS Act had been framed against the accused, while an additional charge under Section 27A had been framed against Lakhwinder Singh.
With only one prosecution witness examined so far and the trial still at an early stage, the court held that the statutory restrictions could not be overlooked merely because the proceedings had not advanced substantially.
Finding that the accused had failed to meet the requirements for bail under Section 37, the court dismissed all four applications.

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