SC STAYS BAIL OF DRUG ACCUSED FROM PUNJAB

CHANDIGARH : The Captain Amarinder Singh government has secured from the Supreme Court a stay on the bail granted by the Punjab and Haryana high court to the accused in drug cases, thus paving way for further action against them, including their re-arrest, an official spokesman said on Wednesday.

Acting on a plea by the state government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice and granted stay of judgment on a batch of 19 special leave petitions filed by Punjab, the official spokesman further said.

The special leave petitions-related to grant of bail by the high court to the accused in drugs cases, on the legal ground that their trial should have been conducted by the special court under the Drugs and Cosmetic Acts and not under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Taking cognisance of the weakening of the prosecution case as a result of the grant of bail to such accused, the chief minister had asked the advocate general to challenge the high court orders before the apex court, the spokesman said.

He said the Supreme Court bench headed by Justice RV Ramana has issued notices and stay in all these matters, thereby effectively cancelling the bail of all these accused.

The Supreme Court orders have been communicated by Punjab advocate general Atul Nanda to the chief secretary and the director general of police, with the request to ensure implementation of such interim orders, leaving it to the authorities to re-arrest, if found necessary, such accused who were previously on bail.

The spokesman said the stay order comes as a shot in the arm for the state government in dealing with drugrelated offences as now the technical plea of jurisdiction/court which is holding the trial is no longer a ground for bail for such accused.

The order is a shot in the arm for the state in dealing with drug offences as plea of jurisdiction for holding trial is no longer a ground for bail. SPOKESPERSON, Punjab govt