Court denies bail to Kashmiri accused in major NDPS case

PANAJI
Taking serious note of rising Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cases in the State, the Additional Sessions Judge, Merces, rejected the bail plea of a Kashmiri native who was caught red-handed in possession of drugs worth Rs 7 lakh during a raid in Assagao in August.
The accused, Maqsood Ahmad, was caught by police in possession of 1,770 grams of ganja worth Rs 1.7 lakh, 56 grams of hydroponic ganja worth Rs 5.6 lakh, and Rs 7 lakh in cash. The chargesheet has been filed in the case, and his bail plea was rejected once before by the court.
Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi, in her order, said that the accused cannot be released on bail as there is every possibility of him getting involved in a similar offence.
“The NDPS cases are also on the rise, and the accused, if released on bail, may get involved in another offence, which is likely to affect society,” she said in the order passed on October 29.
The court noted that the accused’s claim that his source of living is from running an artificial jewellery shop and selling dry fruits is not supported by any documents, and hence, there is a possibility that he is living on the earnings of the drug trade.
“In this case, as rightly pointed out by the PP (public prosecutor), the amount of Rs 7 lakh recovered from the accused has not been explained, and the same can be earnings from drug activity, as the accused was involved in three other crimes earlier, though acquitted in two, which prima facie shows that the accused might be earning from drug trade,” the court said.
During the hearing, public prosecutor S Sawant argued that if the accused is released on bail, it will send a wrong message to society. The PP also informed the court that the accused is a habitual offender, as he was involved in two other crimes under the NDPS Act.