In Brief
The State of Haryana appealed against the Punjab and Haryana High Court's acquittal of Dalbir Singh in a case involving the recovery of 137 kg of contraband material and poppy husk. Although Singh was originally convicted and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, the High Court set aside his conviction, noting the prosecution's reliance solely on police witnesses with no independent witnesses, failure to establish ownership of the contraband, and material inconsistencies in evidence. The Supreme Court upheld the acquittal, finding the evidence insufficient to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt and holding that the accused was entitled to the benefit of doubt.
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