Granting Anticipatory Bail Under Narcotics Law is a Serious Issue: Supreme Court

Granting Anticipatory Bail Under Narcotics Law is a Serious Issue: Supreme Court

Supreme Court Expresses Concern, Asks West Bengal Government to Reconsider Application in NDPS Case

The Supreme Court has stated that granting anticipatory bail in cases registered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is a very serious matter. The court mentioned that it has never encountered such a case before and directed the West Bengal government to reconsider filing an application for cancelling the anticipatory bail granted to the accused.

A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai, Aravind Kumar, and C.T. Ravikumar heard the West Bengal government’s plea challenging an earlier order of the Calcutta High Court granting regular bail to an accused in an NDPS case. The court expressed its surprise that anticipatory bail was granted in such a serious case.

The petitioner’s lawyer informed the bench that out of six accused in the case, four were granted anticipatory bail while one was granted regular bail. The High Court's order granting regular bail is being challenged in this plea. The bench noted that anticipatory bail in NDPS cases is a very serious issue and instructed the state to apply for the cancellation of bail for the co-accused as well.

The court issued notice to the West Bengal government and scheduled the hearing after four weeks.