Dist police fail to produce challans in Excise Act cases

Gagandeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 11

The Bathinda police have registered many cases under the Excise Act this year. But they could not produce challans against the accused in a number of cases as they have not received the lab report of recovered items such as illicit liquor, poppy husk, opium and white powder.

As a result, the trial in these cases is also getting delayed. For intoxicating stuff like opium and poppy husk, the police have a laboratory at Kamla Nehru Colony, but for other items, they have to rely on a Kharar-based lab.

The police send samples of recovered illicit liquor to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

According to sources, the workload on FSL employees has increased manifold over the past four to five years.

Every month, it receives more than 300 to 350 samples of items recovered under the Excise and NDPS Act.

In Bathinda, close to 100 cases have been registered under the Excise Act in the past one-and-a-half year. The police are waiting sample reports of the items recovered in such cases. Of the 100 cases, there are close to 12 cases, the sample reports of which have been pending for over two years.

Two months ago, the district courts had directed the Bathinda police to take steps to produce challans in the pending cases. The police of some districts had even approached the court for allowing them to produce challans without sample reports.

Bathinda SSP Naveen Singla said they were also facing a problem due to pending sample reports. He said they had asked the lab authorities to send sample reports at the earliest.