In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of a man found transporting 223 kg of poppy straw in violation of the NDPS Act. The High Court had acquitted him on the ground that the entire contraband material was not produced in court. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that while producing seized material is ideal evidence, failure to produce bulky material does not mandate acquittal if the seizure itself is conclusively proved through other evidence (sealed samples, signed panchnama, forensic reports). The Court reduced his sentence from 15 years to the statutory minimum of 10 years rigorous imprisonment, directing him to surrender within seven days.
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