The Special Judge-cum-Additional Session Judge (ASJ), Ludhiana, M S Virdi has sentenced Amarjit Singh, a resident of Hoshiarpur, to undergo 15 years of imprisonment for possessing 100 bags of poppy husk.

The judge also ordered him to pay Rs 1 lakh as fine. In case of a default in payment, he will have to further undergo imprisonment for six months, he said.

Delivering the verdict, M S Virdi said that the prosecution had successfully proved with convincing evidence that poppy husk had indeed been recovered from the accused even as he turned down the plea of leniency raised by the accused.

An FIR was registered against him at Sidhwan Bet police station in April 2002 under Section 15 of the NDPS Act. According to the prosecution, the Incharge, CIA staff, Jagraon, Gursharan Singh along with a police party was checking the suspected persons at Dharampur Sidhwan Bet road near a deserted petrol pump. The accused, who was riding Tata 709, was stopped by the police and 100 bags of poppy husk were recovered from the vehicle. In defence, the accused pleaded innocence and claimed false implication but failed to prove it.