Neutral Citation No. - 2025:AHC:134533 Court No. - 92 Case :- CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION No. - 13353 of 2025 Applicant :- Nitesh Pratap Singh Opposite Party :- State of U.P. Counsel for Applicant :- Mrityunjay Singh Counsel for Opposite Party :- G.A. Hon'ble Avnish Saxena,J. 1. Sri Ravi Pandey, learned counsel for the applicant field rejoinder affidavit, the same is taken on record. 2. The present bail application has been moved by the applicant- accused Nitesh Pratap Singh for the offence punishable under Sections 8/20/29/60 of N.D.P.S. Act in Case Crime No.26 of 2025, Police Station-Akarabad, District-Aligarh. 3. It is submitted that the accused applicant has been falsely implicated in the case by the police when 100 kg. Ganja has been recovered from the Tata Safari Car, which has been taken by the accused-applicant on rent. The accused-applicant has been shown as driver of the vehicle, it is alleged that the accused-applicant along-with two others co-accused persons were going to sell the drug to accused nos.4 to 10. There is no independent witness of the incident. The mandatory provisions of NDPS Act has not been observed and complied by the police. The accused-applicant is a student and is languishing in jail since January, 2025. He does not have any criminal history. As such, the accused applicant is liable to be released on bail. 4. Per contra learned A.G.A. has opposed the bail application and submits that the accused-applicant is the driver of the vehicle from where the component has been recovered. The mandatory compliance of the NDPS Act has been made by the police. The charge sheet has been submitted. The applicant does not deserve any indulgence. In case the applicant is released on bail, he will again indulge in similar activity. 5. This court has taken into consideration the rival submissions made by learned counsel for the parties and perused the records. 6. It is settled position of law that bail is the rule and committal to jail is an exception as propounded in the case of State of Rajasthan Vs. Balchand @ Baliay (1977) 4 SCC 308, the Apex Court observed that refusal of bail is a restriction on the personal liberty of the individual guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and opined para 2 "The basic rule may perhaps be tersely put as bail, not jail, except where there are circumstances suggestive of fleeing from justice or thwarting the course of justice or creating other troubles in the shape of repeating offences or intimidating witnesses and the like, by the petitioner who seeks enlargement on bail from the court. We do. not intend to be exhaustive but only illustrative." and considering the facts of the case and keeping in mind, the ratio of the Apex Court's judgment in the case of Gudikanti Narasimhulu And Ors vs Public Prosecutor, High Court Of Andhra Pradesh, (1978) 1 SCC 240 larger mandate of Article 21 of the constitution of India, the nature of accusations, the nature of evidence in support thereof, the severity of punishment which conviction will entail, the character of the accused-applicant, circumstances which are peculiar to the accused, reasonable possibility of securing the presence of the accused at the trial, reasonable apprehension of the witnesses being tampered with, the larger interest of the public/ State and other circumstances, but without expressing any opinion on the merits, I am of the view that it is a fit case for grant of bail. 7. In the case of Mohd. Muslim alias Hussain Vs. State (NCT of Delhi) [(2023) 18 SCC 166] the Apex Court observed and held that the rigour under Section 37 of N.D.P.S. Act would not come in the way, when the Court deals with the liberty of a person, as more the rigour, quicker ought to be the adjudication. 8. It prima facie reveals from the record that that the accused- applicant has been apprehend by the police with 100 kg. Ganja along-with two other accused persons in absence of independent witness. The mandatory provisions of N.D.P.S. Act is the subject matter of trial. The charge sheet has been submitted. The accused applicant is in jail since January, 2025. Trial is pending. 9. Hence, without touching the merit of the case, the bail application is allowed. 10. The accused/applicant- Nitesh Pratap Singh be released on bail in the aforesaid case on furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of court concerned. Order Date :- 8.8.2025 I.A.Siddiqui (Avnish Saxena, J.) Digitally signed by :- IMRAN AHMAD SIDDIQUI High Court of Judicature at Allahabad