Pallel drug haul : HC takes up case against bail order of accused
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 31 2013: The Manipur High Court on Wednesday refrained Pallel drug haul accused Colonel Ajay Chowdhry and two others from leaving the State without the Court's order.

This followed a Criminal Revision petition filed by the State government challenging an earlier verdict passed on July 17 by the Special Court (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Manipur releasing the trio � Chowdhry, RK Babloo and Ng Brojendro- on bail.

The special court also granted bail to the other four accused - Letminlal Haokip , Lunkhohao Haokip, Seikholen Haokip and Zangminthang Tuboi - on July 15.Seikholen is the son of sitting Congress MLA TN Haokip.On February 24, Manipur police pulled up six of the seven accused including former defence PRO Chowdhury with Pseudo Ephedrine content drugs worth around Rs 25 crore from Pallel market in Thoubal district enroute to the border town of Moreh.

Cops belonging to Thoubal district police, nabbed Seikholen from his Deulaland residence in Imphal the following day along with a huge consignment of similar drugs.

In its petition, the State Government contended that the special court (NDPS) Manipur "has not properly appreciated the provisions of Section 36 (A) (4) read with Section 37 of the NDPS Act.

Accordingly, the State prayed before the Court for passing an interim order for suspending the operation of the "impugned order" passed by the NDPS court on July 17 granting bail to the three accused.

Heaving heard Wednesday's proceedings, the court headed by Justice N Kotiswar Singh maintained that the interim prayer would be heard after two weeks.

The Court also issued notices to the respondents asking them to give their replies within two weeks.

Public Prosecutor (High Court) RS Reisang and additional Public Prosecutor S Nepolean Singh, appearing on behalf of the State Government, said that process is on to file another petition against the NDPS court's July 15 verdict granting bail to the other four accused.

In his (earlier) bail application, Chowdhry pleaded innocence saying that he was not aware of the presence of drugs in his bag and rejected that the same were seized from his possession.

Similar pleas were submitted by Brojendro and Babloo.

While granting the bail pleas, the NDPS court, however, restricted the accused from leaving the state without prior permission from the court and that they should also cooperate with the investigation of the case.

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