In Brief
In this 2020 Supreme Court decision, the Court reviewed a drug possession conviction under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The trial court had convicted the appellant, but the High Court acquitted him. The Supreme Court held that while the High Court's reappreciation of evidence was proper, the appellate court could review that acquittal. On fresh examination of the evidence, the Court found the appellant did have control of and knowledge about the charas (hashish) found in his dhaba counter. The Court reinstated conviction but reduced the 15-year sentence to account for the appellant's age and his claimed status as a temple priest, making it a fit case for sentence modification.
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