₹1 Crore Charas Haul Ends in 20-Year Jail Term for One, Three Acquitted

A Special Court in Palanpur has convicted accused Sameer Ahmed Shaikh and sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment in a drug trafficking case involving the seizure of 16.753 kg of charas (hashish) valued at over ₹1 crore.

The case relates to an incident on 13 October 2020, when the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Ahmedabad, acted on a tip-off and conducted surveillance near Hotel Mahakal on the Palanpur-Abu Road highway.

During the operation, ATS officials intercepted a vehicle and recovered a commercial quantity of charas worth ₹1,00,51,800.

Court finds direct link with seized contraband

The main occupants of the vehicle, Fahim Azim Beg and Sameer Ahmed Shaikh, were arrested following the seizure.

While Fahim Beg later allegedly violated interim bail conditions and remains absconding, leaving his trial pending, the court proceeded against Sameer Shaikh based on the evidence available from the seizure.

The prosecution argued that the recovery was made directly from the vehicle in which Sameer Shaikh was travelling, establishing his connection with the seized narcotics.

Based on the evidence presented, the court convicted Shaikh under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and awarded him a 20-year jail term.

Three co-accused acquitted

The court, however, acquitted three other accused — Imran Malek, Arif Ahmed Lon and Abdul Qayyum Shaikh — after finding gaps in the prosecution’s case.

The defence argued that the prosecution had relied heavily on statements made by co-accused persons, which were not admissible under Section 25 of the Evidence Act, and failed to prove their “conscious possession” of the contraband.

The court also considered issues related to:

• Gaps in the chain of custody of seized material
• Delays in forensic testing by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL)
• Alleged non-compliance with mandatory procedures under Sections 42 and 52(A) of the NDPS Act
• Absence of valid Section 65(B) electronic certificates for call record evidence

These shortcomings led the court to extend the benefit of doubt to the three accused and acquit them.