Chandigarh: Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, Home Secretary appear before High Court bench

Chandigarh : The Punjab Director General of Police and the Home Secretary Thursday appeared before a high court bench which had summoned them after expressing displeasure over the non-appearance of prosecution witnesses in drug cases leading to delay in trials.

Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul asked DGP Gaurav Yadav to file an affidavit, providing details of appearance of prosecution witnesses in drug cases where charge sheets have been filed in the last two years, said B S Aulakh, the counsel for the petitioner. The court also asked the DGP to give reasons if prosecution witnesses have not appeared, the counsel told reporters after hearing in the matter on Thursday. DGP Yadav and Home Secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh appeared in the high court, the counsel said.

Justice Kaul had summoned both the DGP and the Home Secretary for their personal appearance while hearing a petition filed by Arshdeep Singh of Muktsar district who has been in custody for the past three years in a drug case.

The petitioner had filed a bail plea. A case under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered against the petitioner in September 2020 at Lambi in Muktsar district after 1,000 tablets of Clovidol-100 SR and Tramadol Hydrochloride-100 mg and 500 tablets of Etolam 0.5 and Etizolam 0.5 mg were recovered from his possession.

The counsel had earlier submitted that the petitioner had been in custody since September 1, 2020 and the charges were framed in August 2021. But only one prosecution witness out of 20 has been examined till date, the counsel said.