A local court has rejected the bail application of a 20-year-old man under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, who had alleged serious charges against former zonal director of Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede.
Wankhede is currently posted with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.
The NCB sleuths had recovered 1.32 gm LSD, 22 gm ganja and one dab of cannabis from Zaid Rana’s house in Mumbai. A charge sheet against Rana and three others was filed by NCB, after which Rana filed the bail application.
Advocate Ashok Saraogi, representing Rana, told the court that the accused lived in a flat which is adjacent to the flat that is owned by Wankhede. The officer had given out his flat on rent and the petitioner claimed that due to some differences between Wankhede’s tenant and Rana’s parents, Wankhede had raided his residence. He further alleged that Wankhede was settling personal score by creating “false and fabricated evidences”.
The plea further elaborated that the charge sheet filed by NCB had “ignored” the presence of Wankhede and nowhere was it even suggested that he was in the premises.
Advocate Advait Sethna, appearing for the central agency, vehemently opposed the bail plea stating that the accused was involved in trafficking, financing, procuring, supply, distribution and sale of the seized contraband held in commercial quantities.
It was further contended that the accused was regularly dealing with contraband and considering the factum of financing under Section 27A, the rigors of Section 37 (makes bailable offences non-bailable) would apply.
After hearing arguments from both sides, special Judge Abhay Joglekar said the charge sheet categorically stated about telephonic communication between Rana with a co-accused in the case, who was found with a commercial quantity of drug.
The judge further said that while deciding an application for bail, it was settled that the court was required to see whether the prima-facie case exists or not.
Apart from the same as stated herein before, as the contraband was recovered in commercial quantity, the rigours of Section 37 of the NDPS Act were well attracted and this ipso-facto disentitled the applicant/accused from any such relief of enlargement on bail, he added.