LI Network
Published on: 26 July 2023 at 00:30 IST
The Bombay High Court has refused to grant bail to a man accused of selling brownies laced with charas, a form of cannabis. The Court expressed deep concern over the rising issue of drug abuse among young individuals and adolescents.
During the hearing of the case, Justice Anuja Prabhudessai highlighted the serious physical, psychological, and emotional risks posed by drug abuse, especially among the youth. She emphasized that the long-term effects of drug misuse not only affect the individual users but also have severe consequences for their families.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which was investigating the case, revealed that the accused primarily targeted young individuals as customers for his marijuana-laced brownies. The accused allegedly operated through an online delivery platform named the WeFast App, where he took orders and sold the charas-infused brownies.
The arrest of the accused followed an NCB raid that led to the seizure of approximately 10 kilograms of the illicit brownies. Advocate Shreeram Shirsat, representing the NCB, presented statements from witnesses indicating that the accused deliberately targeted vulnerable youngsters and subjected them to the dangerous effects of substance abuse.
On the other hand, Advocate Taraq Sayyed, representing the accused, argued that there were procedural discrepancies in the NCB’s seizure process. He sought bail for his client, stressing that the accused was a young individual without any previous criminal record and had been in custody since July 12, 2021.
Despite the plea for bail, the judge turned down the request, stating that the allegations against the accused were substantiated. This triggered the application of Section 37 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act), which bars the grant of bail under certain conditions.
Justice Prabhudessai also expressed concerns about the possibility of the accused continuing his online sale of charas-laced brownies to students and adolescents.