AKASH KUMAR vs NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU

Judgment text excerpt

$~P-2 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI Reserved on: 14.05.2026 Pronounced on:30.05.2026 Uploaded on: 30.05.2026 + BAIL APPLN. 601/2026 AKASH KUMAR .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Pramod Kumar, Advocate. versus NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU .....Respondent Through: Mr. Arun Khatri, SSC with Ms.Shelly Dixit, Mr. P. Singh, Advocates. CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE PRATEEK JALAN JUDGMENT 1. By way of the present application under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 [“BNSS”], the applicant seeks regular bail in connection with NCB Crime No. VIII/09/DZU/2024, registered under Sections 8(c)/18(b)/29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 [“the NDPS Act”]. 2. I have heard Mr. Pramod Kumar, learned counsel for the applicant, and Mr. Arun Khatri, learned Senior Standing Counsel for the respondent – Narcotics Control Bureau. The prosecution has placed on record a status report dated 24.02.2026. A. PROSECUTION CASE 3. The prosecution case, as it emerges from the material on record, is as follows: Signature Not Verified Signed By:BHUPENDER Signing Date:30.05.2026 BAIL APPLN. 601/2026 Page 1 of 10 18:43:47 a. On the basis of secret information received on 23.04.2024, two persons, being the applicant herein and a Child in Conflict with Law [“CCL”], were apprehended at 10:05 AM upon their arrival in Delhi. They were travelling on West Bengal Sampark Kranti Express [Train No. 12329], from Gaya, Bihar to Anand Vihar, Delhi. b. The applicant was in possession of a maroon-coloured backpack. Upon searching the bag, a pink-and-white coloured bag containing four transparent polythene packets were recovered, each containing a blackish-brown substance. Upon opening and testing each packet individually, the contents tested positive for opium. Each packet