Saleem vs State Of Kerala

The appellant challenged a conviction under Section 20(b)(i) of the NDPS Act, alleging non-compliance with the mandatory search safeguards under Section 50. The Supreme Court reviewed whether the presence of a gazetted officer during the seizure of ganja satisfied the statutory requirements. Relying on State of Punjab v. Baldev Singh, the Court emphasized that the stringent safeguards under the NDPS Act must be strictly followed to protect the accused from frivolous charges.