Probe officers in dock as drug case falls flat

PANCHKULA:In an embarrassment to the police, a local court, while acquitting the accused in an NDPS Act case, directed the Deputy Commissioner Police to take appropriate action against the investigating officials in the case and submit an action-taken report to the court within three months.

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 20

In an embarrassment to the police, a local court, while acquitting the accused in an NDPS Act case, directed the Deputy Commissioner Police to take appropriate action against the investigating officials in the case and submit an action-taken report to the court within three months.

In the judgment, Additional Sessions Judge Narender Sura observed that there was lack of skill and quality in the investigation conducted by Sub-Inspector Mange Ram and Sub-Inspector Deepak Kumar, SHO, Pinjore police station. The court was of the view, the order stated, that the investigation conducted in the case is most unscientific, non-professional and lopsided, which cannot be considered as fair by any stretch of the imagination.

The judge said the DCP should take appropriate action against SI Mange Ram and SI Deepak Kumar so that in future no innocent person was made to face trial or no culprit shall go scot free because of such investigations.

The case dates back to July 4, 2016, when the Pinjore police had arrested Pasang Lamba, a native of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, from his house near Mallah chowk and recovered 2.890 kg of charas. During interrogation, Lamba told the police that Praduman Kumar Gupta had supplied him the contraband. Later, the court had granted bail to both.

The police filed a challan against the two accused on December 1, 2016, and on the next date of hearing on December 12, Lamba failed to appear. He was declared proclaimed offender on April 17, 2017, and had been at large till date.

Arguing the case, the public prosecutor prayed that the accused be convicted of the offence.

Defence counsel Manbir Singh Rathi submitted that the prosecution case was that the contraband was recovered from Pasang Lamba, which was supplied to him by Gupta. He said the question of who supplied the contraband would arise only after the prosecution first proved the recovery from Lamba. He said the prosecution even failed to prove the relationship between Lamba and Gupta as neither any call records were produced for the purpose nor Lamba identified Gupta.