New Delhi: A 52-year-old woman has been
jailed for 10 years and fined Rs one lakh by a Delhi court for drug peddling while three of her accomplices were let off due to want of evidence.
"Keeping in view the fact that she is not a previous
convict and also that legislature in its own wisdom has
prescribed minimum sentence for the offence, I sentence
convict Santosh Rani to 10 years rigorous imprisonment with
fine of Rs one lakh for the offence under the Narcotic Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act," Additional Sessions
Judge V K Bansal said.
Police had arrested Uttam Nagar resident Santosh Rani on
August 9, 2008 along with three others-- her husband
Pooran Chand and son Rishi and another woman Gurmeet Kaur--
and had recovered 10 kg of opium from them.
While convicting Santosh Rani under the stringent provision of the NDPS Act, the court, however, let off the other three for want of evidence against them.
"Keeping in view the fact that she is not a previous
convict and also that legislature in its own wisdom has
prescribed minimum sentence for the offence, I sentence
convict Santosh Rani to 10 years rigorous imprisonment with
fine of Rs one lakh for the offence under the Narcotic Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act," Additional Sessions
Judge V K Bansal said.
Police had arrested Uttam Nagar resident Santosh Rani on
August 9, 2008 along with three others-- her husband
Pooran Chand and son Rishi and another woman Gurmeet Kaur--
and had recovered 10 kg of opium from them.
While convicting Santosh Rani under the stringent
provision of the NDPS Act, the court, however, let off the
other three for want of evidence against them.
The court said there was nothing on record to show that
Rishi was having any knowledge that his mother Santosh Rani
was carrying contraband in her bag.
"There is no evidence that Santosh Rani handed over or
attempted to hand over that bag (of opium) to Gurmeet Kaur.
The onus was upon the prosecution to show that Kaur came there
to receive the bag or that Santosh came to deliver that bag to
Kaur, which prosecution has failed," the court said.
PTI
