APHC010114412026 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI (Special Original Jurisdiction) [3396] THURSDAY,THE TWELFTH DAY OF MARCH TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY SIX PRESENT THE HONOURABLE DR JUSTICE VENKATA JYOTHIRMAI PRATAPA CRIMINAL PETITION NO: 1742/2026 Between: 1. PUNAM ASHOK KALE, W/O. ASHOK KALE, AGED ABOUT 25 YEARS,R/O. HISARE, PHISARE P.O. KARMALA SUB DISTRICT, SOLAPURDISTRICT, MAHARASHTRA - 413203. ...PETITIONER/ACCUSED AND 1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, REPRESENTED BY ITS PUBLIC PROSECUTOR,HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH, AMARAVATHI. ...RESPONDENT/COMPLAINANT Petition under Section 437/438/439/482 of Cr.P.C and 528 of BNSS praying that in the circumstances stated in the Memorandum of Grounds of Criminal Petition, the High Court may be pleased to release the petitioner/A.1 on bail in connection with Crime No. 390 of 2025 of Railway P.S, Visakhapatnam registered for the offences under Section 8 (c), r/w. Section 20(b)(ii)(c) of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and to pass such Counsel for the Petitioner/accused: 1. DASAM DURGA SHIVA SAI Counsel for the Respondent/complainant: 1. PUBLIC PROSECUTOR 2 THE HONOURABLE DR JUSTICE VENKATA JYOTHIRMAI PRATAPA CRIMINAL PETITION NO: 1742/2026 ORDER: This Criminal Petition, under Sections 480 and 483 of the BNSS, has been filed by the Petitioner herein/Accused No.1, seeking regular bail, in Crime No. 390 of 2025 of Railway P.S, Visakhapatnam registered for the offences under Section 8 (c), r/w. Section 20(b)(ii)(c) of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. 2. Case of the prosecution is that, on 07.11.2025, at Pillar No.32, near Gate No.3., PF No.1, of Visakhapatnam Railway Station, while checking the platforms, A1 was caught while she was in possession of 26 Kgs of Ganja. She was arrested on the spot. During the course of investigation, the other persons were arrayed as accused. 3. Heard Sri Dasam Durga Shiva Sai, learned counsel for the Petitioner and Mrs.K.Priyanka Lakshmi, learned Assistant Public Prosecutor on behalf of the State. 4. Learned counsel for the Petitioner would submit that the Petitioner was arrested on 07.11.2025, since then, she has been in judicial custody. The Petitioner was falsely implicated in the present crime. She is a woman and she is a mother of a girl child aged about 3 years. Learned counsel for the Petitioner finally prays to grant bail to the Petitioner. 3 5. Learned Assistant Public Prosecutor vehemently opposed the petition and would submit that the investigation is not yet completed. The Statutory period is not over. The contraband seized in the present crime is 26 Kgs of Ganja, which is a commercial quantity. Learned Assistant Public Prosecutor finally prays for dismissal of the petition in the light of the bar under Section 37 of NDPS Act. 6. The Hon’ble Apex Court in State of Kerala v. Rajesh1 at Paragraph Nos.8, 19, 20 and 21 held as under: 8. To curb the spread of dangerous drugs, Parliament has mandated that an accused under the NDPS Act cannot be granted bail unless there are reasonable grounds to believe he is not guilty and will not commit offences while on bail. The High Court failed to justify ignoring these mandatory conditions when releasing the accused. Instead of considering the grave socio-economic and health consequences of illegal drug trafficking, the court ought to have enforced the law in the spirit intended by Parliament. 19. Section 37 imposes additional, overriding restrictions on the grant of bail, beyond those under Section 439 CrPC, through its non obstante clause. It prohibits bail unless two mandatory conditions are met: the prosecution is given an opportunity to oppose, and the court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe the accused is not guilty. If either condition is not fulfilled, the bar against granting bail applies. 20.The term “reasonable grounds” requires more than mere prima facie satisfaction; it demands substantial, probable causes showing the accused is not guilty. Such belief must arise from facts and circumstances sufficient to justify that conclusion. In the present case, the High Court overlooked the strict object of Section 37, and its liberal approach to bail under the NDPS Act was unwarranted. 21.The learned Single Judge failed to record the mandatory finding required under Section 37 of the NDPS Act, which is a sine qua non for granting bail in such cases. 7. In view of the aforesaid facts and circumstances of the case, the request of the petitioner cannot be considered at this juncture inasmuch as 1 (2020) 12 SCC 122 4 there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the petitioner has not indulged in the commission of the alleged offence and if the petitioner is released on bail she would not commit similar offence in future. There are no merits in the Criminal Petition for grant of bail to the petitioner. Hence, the Criminal Petition is liable to be dismissed. Accordingly, the Criminal Petition is dismissed. As a sequel thereto, the miscellaneous applications, if any, pending in this Criminal Petition shall stand closed. __________________________________________ DR. JUSTICE VENKATA JYOTHIRMAI PRATAPA Date: 12.03.2026. UPS 5 265 THE HONOURABLE DR JUSTICE VENKATA JYOTHIRMAI PRATAPA CRIMINAL PETITION NO: 1742/2026 Dt.12.03.2026 UPS