Khanna man gets 10 years in jail for carrying drugs

LUDHIANA: The special court of justice Virinder Aggarwal has sentenced a Khanna resident, Liyakat Ali, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for carrying contraband on him in May 2015. He had been convicted under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and had also been fined ₹1 lakh.

He was booked on the Marian Road in Khanna, while trying to flee on a motorcycle after noticing police presence. The order says that if Ali fails to pay the fine, his sentence will be increased by two years. The judgement adds that the period of detention already undergone by the accused during inquiry, investigation or trial shall be set off against the substantive sentence.

“Investigating officer Davinder Pal Singh conveyed his suspicion to the effect that the accused was carrying some intoxicating material and he intends to search the accused. On frisking, a packet of intoxicating powder was found,” the judgment reads. The defence counsel had argued that no independent witness was presented in court, even as the recovery was from a public road. However, the court pointed out that human memory was short and tended to fade with the time.htc