The Special Judge-cum-Additional Session Judge (ASJ), Ludhiana, M.S. Virdi has sentenced three persons to undergo 10 years imprisonment for possessing poppy husk.

These persons are Baljit Singh alias Pappu of Mandar Kalan village in Moga district, Surjit Singh alias Sita of Jalandhar and Kuljit Singh of Parjian Kalan village in Jalandhar. The judge also ordered the accused to pay Rs 1 lakh each as fine. In default of payment, they will have to further undergo imprisonment for six months.

Delivering the verdict, the judge held that 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 lodged against the accused on January 2, 2003 under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985. On January 2, 2003, when sub-inspector of police Bikramjit Singh and ASI Balwinder Singh along with other police officials were on petrol duty and checking of suspected persons present at Jalandhar Bye Pass Chowk and about 7.30 pm Sucha Singh met them there, then the informant informed to the police party that the accused Baljit Singh alias Pappu of Mandar Kalan in Moga, Surjit Singh Alias Sita of Jalandhar and Kuljit Singh of Parjian Kalan village in Jalandhar, who are dealing in selling the poppy husk in the area of the city, Jagroan and Nakodar etc and they bring the poppy husk from Himachal Pradesh.

After receiving the information, the police party reached the Bahadur ke Road, and after conducting the raid, the truck of the accused was rounded up and police party searched the truck of the accused and poppy husk were recovered. In defence, the accused pleaded innocence and claimed false implication but he failed to prove it.