221 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CRM-M No.22007 of 2026 Date of Decision:- 18.08.2026 Surjit Singh …..Petitioner. Versus State of Punjab .....Respondent. CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE VIKRAM AGGARWAL ***** Present:- Mr. Pankaj Garg, Advocate for the petitioner. Mr. Rahul Jindal, AAG, Punjab. VIKRAM AGGARWAL, J. (ORAL) This is the second petition preferred under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (for short, ‘the BNSS’) for the grant of regular bail to the petitioner in case FIR No.37 dated 13.07.2025 registered under Sections 21 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (for short ‘the NDPS Act’), at Police Station Handesra, District SAS Nagar, the first bail application having been withdrawn on 14.01.2026 (Annexure P-4). 2. Status report by way of affidavit of Sh. Bikramjit Singh Brar, PPS, Superintendent of Police, Sub-Division Derabassi, District SAS Nagar and the custody certificate dated 17.08.2026, filed in Court today, YAG DUTT 2026.08.18 18:28 I attest to the accuracy and authenticity of this order/judgment. CRM-M No.22007 of 2026 -2- are taken on record. The Registry is directed to tag the same at an appropriate place on the case file. 3. On 13.07.2025, a police party, while on patrolling, noticed a Mahindra Thar car coming from Ambala Cantt. side towards Handesra. Upon noticing the check point, the driver of the car halted the vehicle and alighted from the same. He threw one transparent polythene envelope from his pocket. Simultaneously, another individual exited from the other side and both persons attempted to flee. However, they were apprehended. They were found to be one Surjit Singh (petitioner) and Tarun Kumar Sharma. The envelope was found to contain 52 grams of heroin/ice (methamphetamine). 4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner has been falsely implicated. He submits that the petitioner is in custody since the day of his arrest; 1 year and 1 month has gone by; his antecedents are clean; co-accused Tarun Kumar Sharma has been granted regular bail by a coordinate Bench vide order dated 24.03.2026 passed in CRM-M No.65490 of 2025 (Annexure P-3); the contraband alleged to have been recovered from the petitioner and the co-accused was only marginally above the commercial quantity of 50 grams; investigation stands completed; final report has been submitted; charges have been framed; out of 12 prosecution witnesses, only 1 has been examined so far; trial will still take a sufficiently long time and, therefore, no useful purpose would be served by keeping the petitioner in custody any longer. 5. Per contra, learned State counsel has opposed the bail YAG DUTT 2026.08.18 18:28 I attest to the accuracy and authenticity of this order/judgment. CRM-M No.22007 of 2026 -3- application. However, he has not been able to deny the fact that the antecedents of the petitioner are clean. 6. I have considered the submissions made by learned counsel for the parties. 7. Concededly, the petitioner is in custody since 13.07.2025. He has clean antecedents. Still further, investigation stands completed. Final report has been submitted. Charges stand framed and out of 12 prosecution witnesses, only 1 has been examined till date. Apart from this, co-accused Tarun Kumar Sharma has been granted regular bail by a coordinate Bench vide order dated 24.03.2026 passed in CRM-M No.65490 of 2025 and the case of the petitioner is at par with that of the said Tarun Kumar Sharma. Trial will still take a sufficiently long time and, therefore, no useful purpose would be served by keeping the petitioner in custody any longer. 8. In view of the aforementioned facts and circumstances, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, the present petition is allowed. The petitioner is ordered to be released on regular bail on his furnishing bail/surety bonds to the satisfaction of the concerned trial Court/Chief Judicial Magistrate/Duty Magistrate. (VIKRAM AGGARWAL) August 18, 2026 JUDGE Yag Dutt Whether speaking/reasoned: Yes/No Whether Reportable: Yes/No YAG DUTT 2026.08.18 18:28 I attest to the accuracy and authenticity of this order/judgment.