HC junks Punjab woman’s bail plea says, females, children being used as drug couriers

The petitioner woman had approached the high court apprehending her arrest in a drugs case registered on April 3 under police station Bhikhi in Mansa district.

The Punjab and Haryana high court has dismissed an anticipatory bail plea from a Mansa woman observing that women and children are being used as couriers by drug traffickers.

Earlier on April 25, the trial court in Mansa had dismissed her plea, observing that since she has been nominated in this case for the offence under Section 29 (punishment for abetting the crime) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act

“The instances of women and children being used as a carrier and supplier for narcotic drugs is on the rise, especially in the state of Punjab and therefore, the contention of learned counsel for the petitioner that she is a woman aged about 31 years and has been implicated based on disclosure statements made by co-accused does not find favour with this court,” the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu said while dismissing bail plea from one Sarabjit Kaur.

The petitioner woman had approached the high court apprehending her arrest in a drugs case registered on April 3 under police station Bhikhi in Mansa district.

Her plea was that no recovery had been made from her and she has been arraigned as accused based on disclosure statements made by two men, Laddi Singh and Kashmir Singh, from whom recovery of 50 grams of heroin was made. The duo, as per police, had named the woman as the ‘supplier’ of the drug.

“The possibility of further drug being recovered from the petitioner as and when she is arrested cannot be ruled out,” the court said while dismissing her plea.

Earlier on April 25, the trial court in Mansa had dismissed her plea, observing that since she has been nominated in this case for the offence under Section 29 (punishment for abetting the crime) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act on the statement of the co-accused, her custodial interrogation is required for having “effective investigation”.

The court also took note of her police record as per which she has ‘criminal antecedents’, and a trial is underway against her in a case of seizure of 24 bottles of illicit liquor from her possession.